Look Underneath
by Sakura's Unicorn
Summary: Setting out on one of the most difficult missions of his life, Sasuke knew he'd need some highly skilled teammates. When the Hokage appointed Sakura and Karin to assist him, he had to wonder what she was thinking. Post-canon SasuSaku. One-sided SasuKarin.
1. Chapter 1

"Goooood morning, Ino."

The voice was sing-song and overly sunny and came with a very wide smile.

"Whatever," the blonde said through a jaw-cracking yawn.

"Out late again, Ino?" Sakura scolded.

"_In_ all night again, Sakura?" Ino asked, sticking out her tongue. "Shizune's complaining about her back again."

"As usual," said Sakura, before a door swung open and a _very_ pregnant Shizune waddled out.

"Thank goodness you're here, Sakura." Her senpai grabbed her by the wrist. "_Please_. My back. I haven't slept all night!"

Sakura grinned and nodded as she gently pushed her into a chair. Her hands glowed green as she kneaded muscles and gently snapped vertebrae back into alignment—Shizune grunted and moaned in relief.

"So this is, what, your _third_ baby?" she asked. "You should be used to this by now."

"Oh, it never gets any easier, but it's all worth it in the end when you have that adorable bundle of love to hold." Shizune sighed wistfully, her dark eyes shining. "You'll know what I mean soon enough, Sakura."

"How about you let her get a husband first?" called Ino from behind a stack of files.

Sakura's face spasmed, but she regained her composure and laughed loudly. "Yeah, _that_ would be nice."

Ino added, "Although, she'd need to go out for that to happen."

The clack of heels on hallway tiles made all three women freeze.

"All right—back to work. I'm running a lab, not a massage parlor!" Tsunade's voice boomed off the porcelain walls.

Reluctantly, Shizune shuffled off, though her waddle was noticeably less pronounced.

"Sakura, what the hell are you doing here?" her mentor hissed, glaring. "I told you to spend today training _outside_."

Sakura could tell that Tsunade knew _exactly_ what she was doing here—and her smile faltered for a second as a voice in her head murmured, _Coward_.

Quickly pulling her face back into a grin, Sakura said as innocently as she could, "I just have one tiny experiment I need to finish before my new poison is complete. If you let me take care of it this morning, I swear I'll go into the woods and test it out all afternoon!" She thought her face would split if she smiled any wider—she hoped she looked sincere and not maniacal.

Tsunade sighed, defeated. "Okay. Go ahead."

Sakura was already skipping past her into the lab with a melodic, "Thanks, Shishou," when Tsunade grabbed her arm.

"Sakura," she murmured. "You can't hide in here forever. You're going to have to face him one day."

Cold fear dropped into her stomach and she frowned at the thought of seeing Sasuke. She pulled her arm from Tsunade's iron grip, whispering, "Not today."

* * *

><p>The last rays of the setting sun were slipping below the horizon as the silent ANBU made their way toward Konoha. Their footfalls on each branch were soundless, barely stirring the leaves. The coming dark made more noise than these shadow-clad assassins.<p>

"There they are."

There was a noticeable relaxation among the men as the massive gates of the Leaf village welcomed them home—doors thrown open wide like waiting arms.

"I hope I make it home in time for dinner. My wife makes curry on Thursdays."

"I'm coming to your house! _My_ wife makes _reservations_ on Thursdays."

The normally reserved men of the ANBU squad chuckled and pushed each other's shoulders affably. Sasuke slowed his pace half a step so he was slightly behind them—just enough to stay out of the conversation.

"What about you, Taichou? What's your wife cooking tonight?"

"Well, after two months of taking care of the kids by herself, I'd better bring something home for dinner if I want a happy wife…and I _do_ want her happy," he added, a humorously lewd edge to his voice as he elbowed one of his comrades knowingly.

Finally noting his absence, one of Sasuke's fellow ANBU turned back to see him leaping through the shadows. "What about…" His question trailed off as he realized his error.

Sasuke had no one waiting with curry. Sasuke had no one running to the door when he came in.

Sasuke had no one who would even care that he'd made it back to Konoha alive.

The short distance to the gate was concluded in silence.

* * *

><p>Normally, Sasuke would take to the rooftops as he traveled through Konoha. He told himself it was faster—he didn't have time to slow down for pedestrians—but, deep inside, he knew the truth.<p>

Down on the dusty streets of the Leaf village, he might see _her_.

Tonight, however, he barely had the energy to lift his feet as he willed himself toward his apartment. With dreams of dropping all his clothes on the floor and stepping directly into a hot shower filling his head, he didn't sense the approaching chakra until it was too late—all he could do was wait for the impending collision.

"Hey, you bastard!" yelled Naruto, slinging his arm around Sasuke's shoulders. "It's about time you got home! I've been home for two days already!"

Almost tripping from Naruto's tackling embrace, Sasuke pushed him off as violently as he could muster in his exhausted state, mumbling, "Get off, idiot."

"Heh. Beat you again!" Naruto punched Sasuke's arm good-naturedly. "That makes the score forty-seven to forty-three. You'll never catch up now, Sasuke. I'm on a roll!"

"Glad to see you learned how to count while I was away, moron," Sasuke sneered, trying to inject as much bored cynicism into his voice as possible.

Naruto's irritating habit of keeping track of who completed their mission first grated on Sasuke. As much as he'd like to chalk it up to Naruto being childish, Sasuke knew that being on the losing side of the scoreboard ignited his competitive side.

Glancing over at his teammate, Sasuke couldn't help but smirk at the way he pranced awkwardly down the street, his hands tucked behind his head, smug with the satisfaction of winning—Naruto never changed.

A small flicker of sadness passed through Sasuke when he thought about the _real_ reason behind this ridiculous contest—it was Naruto's way of keeping them linked, of keeping them together as a team.

_Team Seven._

Sasuke was overcome by a wave of nostalgia. For a moment, he felt the carefree lightness of being a Leaf genin again, burdened only by his need to be a better shinobi than his stupid best friend.

The reality of his years away from Konoha—and all his dark transgressions—came crashing back when a bouquet of flowers unexpectedly appeared in Sasuke's face.

Panic caused him to come to a sudden stop as he stared down at the delicate, pink blooms. Heat crawled across his face as ice filled his stomach. Why did they make him feel such…

A giggle drew his attention to the blushing brunette who held them out.

"These are for you," she said, biting her lip and glancing at him with flirty shyness.

A spike of anger clamped his hands into fists as he fixed her with a red-eyed glare. The shining eyes that had hoped to catch his attention opened wide with terror as Sasuke's fury escalated.

"Sasuke? You coming?" Naruto yelled over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed with concern.

Naruto's voice brought Sasuke back to reality and, with a huff, he blinked his eyes to their usual inky black. His hands still clenched, he side-stepped the now-cowering girl and stomped down the street.

Women jumping into his path elicited, at the most, a bored sigh from Sasuke—it happened way too often for him to get angry about anymore. But the unexpected flash of pink, and all the feelings that came with it, pushed him over the edge.

As he neared, Naruto fell into step beside him, saying, "You know, Sakura beat us both home by _four days_! I don't even know how much she's winning by anymore!" He pouted and made a show of shoving his hands in his pockets and kicking a stone out of the path in mock-depression. When Sasuke sighed his relief, his hands unclenching and his shoulders dropping, Naruto smiled wickedly at him.

"You weren't _worried_ about Sakura-chan, were you, Sasuke?"

As much as Naruto tried to bait him on this subject, Sasuke would never talk about _her_.

"Just worried that you haven't learned how to count that high yet." He smirked and Naruto glared back with a half-smile.

"Well, I'm off," Naruto said, slapping Sasuke on the back. "We need to get the team together for some training. Soon?" he questioned, looking hopeful.

How many times since his return had Naruto asked him this same question? How many times had Sasuke flatly refused, not even giving his friend a reason? He wasn't sure, but tonight, Sasuke didn't have it in him to say no. Maybe it was because in Naruto's too-bright smile Sasuke saw that there _was_ someone who cared that he was home.

"Sure," he said with a half-hearted wave as he watched a beaming Naruto take off across the Konoha rooftops.

* * *

><p>Leaving a trail of weapons and clothing in his wake, Sasuke stepped into his shower and turned the taps on full blast. Lathering up his hands, he elbowed the hot water faucet higher—the heat seared across his back.<p>

He felt the layers of dirt and dried blood rinse away as he shampooed his hair, scraping his nails roughly across his scalp. Another twist of the tap filled the room with swirling curls of steam. With mountains of soap spilling from his hands, Sasuke washed the grime from his skin. He scrubbed and scoured until nothing but pure, white foam ran down the drain.

Lathering up again, Sasuke's weary thoughts drifted to that soft pink bouquet. A single word whispered in his head—_Coward._

Here he was, one of the strongest shinobi Konoha had produced in decades, and a few carnations could stop him in his tracks. Disgust loomed as he thought about what a fraud he was when a stinging sensation across his chest halted his movements. Looking down, Sasuke realized that he'd scrubbed himself so hard that he was bleeding. He watched the injury pale under the hot water as bright red blood trickled down his body and into the pipes beneath the Leaf.

Snapping off the faucet, he ran his hand down his face and exhaled—he was tired, that's all. He stepped out of the shower and wiped the haze from the mirror to see that his skin was deeply flushed from the heat of the scalding water.

Exhausted, he closed his eyes for a second—suddenly, his mind resurrected a memory of crackling, blue lightning and terror in wide, green eyes.

He slammed his fist down on the counter as hot anger surged through him—why had he done it? What kind of monster had he become that he could attempt to take the life of his own teammate? One of his most precious…

He looked down at the red welts he'd scratched into his skin and realized he would never be worthy of Sakura's forgiveness.

* * *

><p>The bite of cold night air made Sakura shiver slightly, but she was glad for the reviving slap in the face. Despite her teacher's warning, she'd sequestered herself in the lab all day. It had all been worth it, though, as she thought about the possibilities her new drug would have in battle situations.<p>

Successes like this one were the reason Sakura enjoyed her research. Mentally dissecting chemical compounds and recombining them with chakra challenged her intellect and, more importantly, occupied her mind. Working long hours in the seclusion of the lab kept her from dwelling on subjects she didn't want to think about—black-haired subjects with dark red eyes that could see past her charade, that could see the unrequited love still inside of her.

Sakura shook away those thoughts—determined not to let her heart best her head—when she was suddenly lifted from the ground and slung over someone's shoulder. Vertigo threatened and she closed her eyes against the swirling dizziness as she was swung in circles.

"Ugh, Naruto! Put me down. _Now_!" she grunted. When her feet touched the ground, she opened her eyes to see her blond teammate rubbing his neck and grinning.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan. I'm just so happy to see you out of that dungeon."

"It's not a dungeon. It's a _lab_, Naruto. One day, you'll be glad I slaved away in there when you're yakking up some Sound shinobi's poison," she said, hands on her hips—she hoped she looked threatening, despite the lingering wooziness.

"It's not that I don't appreciate what you do, Sakura-chan. It's just that I never get to _see_ you anymore."

Although she recognized that Naruto was trying to manipulate her with the sad puppy look, Sakura melted—she couldn't stay mad at that face. She linked her arm with his and tugged.

"Come on. Walk me home."

Looking at Naruto always left Sakura feeling guilty, too. He reminded her of giddy days spent running through sunlight with her two favorite boys steadfast at her side. She knew it was Naruto's desperate hope to bring all three members of Team Seven back together again—to become whole again.

He slanted a wily look her way and said, "I saw Sasuke. He just got home _tonight_." His mouth slowly curled up into a devious smile that Sakura couldn't help but giggle at. Soon, they were both howling with laughter at their tardy teammate, stumbling, as if drunk, down the street.

Their laughter dying down, Sakura bragged, "Looks like I've got you both beat by a mile."

"Don't remind me. But at least I'm still beating Sasuke!" he crowed, walking taller.

Sadness pierced Sakura in that moment. She wanted so badly to give Naruto back the team—the family—he so desperately wanted. But she knew she couldn't. She'd crossed a line when she sought out Sasuke with the intention of ending his life. Her act wasn't a desperate self-defense move—_that_, she thought, could be forgiven. No, it was premeditated—fully planned. She'd considered all of her options before setting out to kill her teammate.

"I asked him again, Sakura-chan, if we could all get together for some team training, and do you know what he said _this_ time?"

"No, Naruto. What?" Although she'd said _no_, a shiver passed through her as Naruto's hopeful expression was a dead giveaway.

"He said _sure_. What do you think of that?"

* * *

><p>Pulling a cardboard container from the microwave, Sasuke grabbed a pair of chopsticks and headed for the fresh air of his apartment's small balcony. A cool breeze ruffled his damp hair as he plopped into a chair and poked at his fried noodles.<p>

Lights winked in and out across the Konoha landscape like lightning bugs in a summer sky. Sasuke wondered which of those lights belonged to his ANBU squad members—they were _not_ his _teammates_, a voice in his head reminded him. Was that light from the kitchen where homemade curry was being lingered over? Was that the bedroom where children were being hugged and tucked in? The light that had just turned off, was that his taichou and his happy wife? Sasuke sighed as he pushed the noodles around in their container, his appetite suddenly gone.

Sasuke knew his ANBU squad never asked, but they wondered why he was even here in Konoha—why he didn't just make a life for himself somewhere else. It wasn't like Sasuke had anything to come home to. But Sasuke had a very good reason for staying in the Leaf. Six blocks over, behind the water tower, three windows from the left, his reason was sleeping peacefully.

He would stay here and protect Sakura, whether she wanted him to or not. He owed her that much at least.

Sasuke sighed at the bright, fall moon and thought he should try to write up his mission report. Back inside, he slid a scroll open across the table and scratched out the facts of his last job—the standard language of a mission report rolling easily from his pen. It wasn't until he came to the details, the particular events that made this mission unique, that he faltered.

He recalled traveling, fighting, and traveling again. Who had he fought exactly? Where had he just been? And why? Sasuke took up his pen again as a flash of snow and mountains came to him. No, he realized, that memory was from a _prior_ mission. A shudder passed through him—why was one mission running into another? Why was his life becoming nothing more than a blur?

As he slid into bed, pulling the covers high over his head like a cocoon, Sasuke wondered numbly if this was how he'd die—just fading away little by little.

* * *

><p>"<em>He said sure. What do you think of that?"<em>

Reflecting on it as she crawled under her covers that night, Sakura truthfully didn't know what to think of Sasuke's answer. Previously, Naruto had made excuses for Sasuke's absences, saying Tsunade kept him running in and out of the village, but he was positive that soon—very soon—Sasuke would be ready to train and then Team Seven would make a comeback.

Sakura just didn't see that _ever_ happening.

Team Seven had been irrevocably broken the day she held a shaking kunai to the uchiwa on Sasuke's back. Bile rose in her throat as she recalled his strong hand enveloping her neck. She wondered with regret why he couldn't have squeezed just a little tighter.

Now, she spent her days running and hiding. She buried her face in her pillow, overcome with shame.

"I'm such a coward," she mumbled, thinking of day after day spent skulking in the lab so she wouldn't have to see him. Tsunade's words rang in her head…

"_You're going to have to face him one day."_

But days came and went, one blurring into the next, and her only hope was…

Not today.

* * *

><p>So...new story. My first chaptered fic. Not gonna lie-my palms are sweating!<p>

Thanks have to go to Unicorn Paige for her editing and for listening to my endless whining. Thanks, Paige!

Please review and let me know what you think...or I'll just continue to sweat alone!


	2. Chapter 2

The early morning summons from Tsunade wasn't unexpected—Konoha was extremely busy as of late, so quick turnarounds on missions had become the norm. Sakura was, however, a little disappointed that she had to forego testing her new poison until she returned. But, she thought as she strode briskly through Hokage Tower, after last night's heartache, she'd welcome _any_ reason to get out of the village—any reason to get far away from Sasuke.

"Good morning, Senpai," she chirped with a wave. "How's your back today? Baby being good to you?"

Shizune's head snapped up from her paperwork so fast, Sakura was afraid she'd given herself whiplash.

"Oh! Sakura! Um, g-good morning to you, too!"

"Shizune? Are you o—"

"Go ahead, go right in," Shizune interrupted. "Tsunade's waiting for you." She gathered up a sloppy pile of scrolls, bracing them against her bulging belly as she waddled away. "I-I have to take care of something…something, um, down the hall." She threw a panicky look over her shoulder before she started walking faster.

Sakura watched Shizune race down the corridor with a confused frown.

_What has her so jumpy?_

With a shrug, she strode into the Hokage's office and stood at attention beside the shinobi she assumed would be her teammate for this mission.

Sakura bowed in greeting as Tsunade glanced up at her. The Hokage's eyes flicked to the ninja standing next to Sakura, then back to her apprentice with a smirk and a lifted eyebrow.

Now even more confused at all this weird behavior, Sakura turned to face her new teammate—she'd get a better idea of what kind of mission she was going on by seeing who Tsunade had paired her with.

With a friendly smile, Sakura turned to her right. Shock was a very pale word to explain the thunderbolt of fear that passed through her body.

Her mission was with _Sasuke_.

* * *

><p>Sasuke shifted as he waited for the other members of his team to assemble in the Hokage's office. He was surprised to be summoned for another mission so quickly, but, he reasoned, it was probably for the best. Naruto would be pestering him soon about training with Team Seven and, after last night, Sasuke was <em>very<em> sure he wasn't ready to face Sakura.

Hearing a feminine voice outside Tsunade's office, Sasuke hoped the owner of that voice would pass by and not open the door. He hated missions with female shinobi. It's not that he had anything against women becoming ninja—he'd seen and battled some incredibly skilled kunoichi in his life. It just seemed to be his luck to be paired with kunoichi who flirted and giggled their way through missions. After traveling for so long with Taka, he'd had more than enough of women like Karin.

His only thought when selecting Karin was how he could use her unique chakra-sensing ability. She would be able to track Itachi's chakra signature better than a ninja hound.

He hadn't considered the irritation her unwanted crush would cause.

Sasuke shuddered when he recalled her vise-like grip on his arm. He'd never given her the slightest indication that he even saw her as _female_, let alone that he had any more than a professional interest in her. No matter how many times he declined her offers, she would never relent.

Sasuke sighed heavily when he heard the click of the opening door. Apparently, traveling with just men was too much to hope for. Keeping his eyes trained on the Hokage, lest he give the approaching woman a _very_ wrong impression, he listened to the clack of heeled shoes coming closer. His newly-acquired teammate bowed to Tsunade and, out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw a flash of pink. Panic surged through him, every nerve electrically charged.

His mission was with _Sakura_.

He watched, frozen, as she turned toward him. His eyes were drawn to hers like a magnet—a trickle of warmth ran through him when he saw a friendly glint there. A second later, the beginnings of a smile fell from her face. When Sakura's eyes widened with horror as his presence registered, he felt the all too familiar self-loathing choking him.

Before he could curb it, anger burned in his veins and his brows knit—he had brought this on himself. _He_ was the one to blame for Sakura's dread. His fists were clenching and unclenching and his stomach bubbled with overwhelming guilt. His reactions uncontrollable, Sasuke was forced to look away. Would he ever see any expression in Sakura's eyes other than fear?

* * *

><p>Sakura trembled as she watched Sasuke's expression change from surprise to fury. She knew she deserved his anger—she had betrayed his trust as a teammate <em>and<em> as a friend. Had she really thought that ending his life was the _only_ answer?

Watching his fists close tightly, she hung her head. How would she ever complete a mission with him? Shame crushed her as bile burned her throat. Did she really have so little faith in him as a person to think that he couldn't be redeemed? Sadly, she thought that _Naruto's_ faith in Sasuke hadn't wavered. It's no wonder the two of them were able to repair their bond and become friends again.

Thinking of Naruto was like finding a ray of light—this mission would be so much easier on both of them if Naruto was the third member of their cell! Realizing Tsunade had already begun to detail their mission while she'd been preoccupied, Sakura hesitantly cleared her throat.

"Sakura?" Tsunade questioned, lifting her eyes from the mission scroll.

"Um, I was wondering, Hokage-sama, if we shouldn't wait for Naruto before you start briefing us."

"Naruto won't be joining you on this mission."

Sakura felt disappointment drop her stomach to her toes. She'd hoped Naruto's loud mouth and cheerful nature would act as a sort of buffer between her and Sasuke. At the very least, he'd be a sympathetic ear. She was startled when Tsunade gruffly barked out Shizune's name.

"Has she arrived yet?" she asked, incensed.

"Coming down the hall now, Hokage-sama. I'll send her right in."

Tsunade turned back to Sasuke and continued, "If you're going to have any chance of finding him, you'll need—"

"SASUKE-KUUUUN!"

The unexpected screeching had Sakura in a defensive posture before a blaze of red knocked her to the side. Steadying herself on the Hokage's desk, she turned to see the fiery-haired former-Taka member, Karin, resting her head on Sasuke's shoulder, his left arm trapped in her tentacular grip.

Anger was the first thing to register in Sakura's brain. Who the hell did this girl think she was screaming in the Hokage's office, knocking her over and attaching herself to her Sasuke-kun in such a familiar way?

White-hot jealousy burned through Sakura before reality hit her like a slap in the face.

He wasn't _her_ Sasuke-kun anymore.

Of course, Sasuke had never been _hers_, but as members of Team Seven, she felt more than just a friendly possessiveness. But…there was no more Team Seven, was there?

Sakura felt sick to her stomach and hot tears built up in her eyes. She pressed her lips together and willed Tsunade to finish the mission briefing quickly. She wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out against this flood of emotion. As soon as the Hokage flipped the scroll to Sasuke, Sakura was out the door and down the stairs—she'd barely heard a word.

* * *

><p>Wrestling her pack out of the dark recesses of her closet, Karin choked as dust wafted through the air in glittering clouds.<p>

"Ugh. Haven't had to use this in a while," she said between hacking coughs.

She tugged hard on her jammed screen door and it banged open loudly. Stepping out onto the balcony, she angrily beat the dust out of her bag.

She had to stop herself before she mangled the bag beyond recognition.

Karin was pissed when the Hokage summoned her for a mission—her mind raced with ways to get out of it. Wiling away her days playing prison guard at Konoha Penitentiary was fine—as long as she got to see Sasuke. But going on _missions_ for the Leaf? She was _so_ not into that.

Karin hated the poky, little village that Sasuke called home. She'd resigned herself to becoming a Konoha shinobi when Sasuke told Taka that he was leaving and they were free to do as they pleased. She remembered vividly the icy dart of panic she felt when he turned from their last campsite and began to walk toward his blond, former teammate.

She glanced back at Suigetsu and Juugo once then took off running.

Sighing, she felt some of her anger fade as she thought, _At least seeing Sasuke-kun's handsome face will make this mission bearable._

Yanking open a drawer, she began to sift through the clothes she would need. She giggled as she laid out some particularly scanty underwear and several filmy nightgowns.

"Sasuke-kun won't be able to help but notice _these_," she purred, twanging a thong on her fingers and shooting it into her pack.

Karin squealed as she momentarily lost herself in a fantasy that involved her, Sasuke, and that leopard-print thong.

She hugged her backpack tightly, thinking of how much she'd missed looking at Sasuke's face. When she'd tackled him this morning in the Hokage's office, she'd practically drooled all over him—Sasuke really was just _too_ attractive for his own good, Karin thought, licking her lips hungrily.

_But I haven't seen Sasuke-kun in months! It's like he's avoiding me or something,_ she pouted, puzzled.

She hooked her pack on her shoulders and dreamed of the days when Taka chased Itachi across several nations. Then, she'd seen him _every day_,

She knew she'd been handed a golden opportunity to become _the one_ for Sasuke. She had to take advantage of the chance this mission afforded her.

Solidifying her confidence, Karin vowed, "I will make the most of this time with Sasuke. I will make him notice me as _more_ than just a loyal teammate!"

Imagining herself wrapped up in his arms, an Uchiha crest on her back as the two of them snuggled together in his sleeping bag, Karin sighed. She spritzed herself with perfume before running for the gates.

She would not let this opportunity slip away.

* * *

><p>The straps of her backpack dug sharply into her shoulders, but Sakura didn't shift them. The pain felt like some kind of penance—something she needed to suffer to begin walking the path toward forgiveness. She immediately scoffed at the ridiculousness of that thought and resituated the straps. When had she become so melodramatic?<p>

Besides, _Sasuke_? Forgive_ her_? Stupid idea.

A nauseous feeling floated in her stomach as she waited for the rest of the team to join her at the Main Gate. She tried to take deep, calming breaths, but anxiety made her restless as she leaned against the gates and huffed uneasily.

A minute later, she folded her arms and stood up straight.

Thirty seconds later, she shielded her eyes and gazed at the sun—what time was it now?

Ten seconds later, she folded her arms again and looked at her feet as she toed the ground.

Sakura was a second away from screaming at the top of her lungs in frustration as she gripped the straps of her pack with white knuckles. She just wanted to get going.

The sooner they left, the sooner this mission would be over.

Then, she heard him—all of her muscles locked up at the sound of Sasuke's sandals scraping the paving stones. His steps were heavy, loud—almost like he was warning her of his approach. Her neck ached as she awkwardly continued to look at her boots. He came within five feet of her and abruptly turned toward the village. It was only then that Sakura dared to lift her head.

Swallowing back the sick feeling in her belly, Sakura's eyes ran over his back. She shivered—the magnetism of his presence was overwhelming. Her eyes went dry as she refused to blink, to look away from his powerful profile. Sakura inhaled deeply—she wanted to drink him in.

Sasuke stood rigidly, his arms folded over his chest. Squinting, she could see how tightly his jaw was clamped shut—and then he turned his head sharply to the side and all she could see were his black spikes rippling in the wind.

A tight knot of nausea almost overcame her and she swayed slightly. Sakura knew that the coming mission would be incredibly difficult for Sasuke—her heart ached for him. She could barely conceive of the emotions that had to be racing through him—to have to investigate one of Madara's former bases had to dredge up painful memories for Sasuke. To also have to contend with _her_—a former teammate who tried to murder him—couldn't be making this any easier.

Sakura longed to reach out to him—to comfort him somehow. She almost laughed out loud at what a ludicrous notion that was. Comfort was surely the last thing _she_ could give him…but she wanted to…so desperately…

Her shaking hand rose toward his tense back. As a vision of that same hand holding a kunai flashed in her mind, she panicked and quickly tried to pull her hand back, but the idea of easing Sasuke's suffering was too strong for her to resist and, slowly, she leaned in his direction.

She froze when she heard the slap of running feet coming toward them. Sakura looked down the road and saw Karin approaching—red hair streaming behind her as she screamed, "Sasuke-kuuun! Wait for meeee!"

The hand that was reaching out to Sasuke curled into a fist and Sakura felt every muscle in her body clench at the sound of Karin's screech—the girl set her on edge.

Movement from Sasuke's direction caused Sakura's head to pivot toward him.

Her world slowed to a crawl as she watched his arms drop to his sides casually—the tightness in his shoulders gone. He turned toward the path leading from the village and began to walk. As he passed Sakura, the hair that had hidden him from view, fluttered from his face and she saw that his mouth had relaxed—his jaw was no longer clenched.

Her world came crashing back into motion as Karin collided with Sasuke, grabbing his arm, desperately trying to catch her breath as she babbled about how her lateness wasn't _her_ fault at all.

Forcing her legs to move, Sakura trailed two steps behind them. Her eyes burned and she swallowed several times to silence a cough that tickled her throat—she told herself that it was from Karin's overpowering perfume. However, it took all of her willpower to keep from turning around and running back through the village gates as she stared at their feet falling in unison on the dusty ground.

A deep pit opened in her stomach when she noticed that Sasuke had yet to shrug off Karin's grip on his arm.

* * *

><p>Sasuke had the most annoying habit of not talking while traveling. Karin recalled month after month of leaping through trees, trudging through swamps, dragging herself through crappy, little towns searching for Itachi. And she could count on one hand the amount of words Sasuke had said directly to her in all that time. Was a little conversation too much to ask for?<p>

They'd been traveling for about four hours, the sun nearing its apex, when Karin reached her limit.

"Sasuke-kun? Don't you think it's about time we stopped? It's noon. I'm sure you're hungry, Sasuke-kun. _I know_ how you get when you're hungry. And I packed the most adorable bento for you! Sasuke-kun?"

The sun slid halfway down the sky before Sasuke stopped at a teahouse for a meal.

"Sasuke-kuuun! I told you! I _packed_ lunch. We don't need to stop here."

Karin was annoyed. Why did he ruin all of her romantic plans? She'd designed a very artful bento for him. It had taken a lot of time, but she'd created a sexy vignette of the two of them out of cheese, fish paste and dried seaweed. She'd surrounded it with hundreds of syrupy natto hearts. Did he have any idea how hard it was to carve those sticky beans into heart shapes?

Despite Karin's pleas, Sasuke marched directly to the counter, sat on a stool and snatched up a menu.

"Katsudon," Sasuke told the elderly waitress before she had a chance to ask as he handed back the menu. He laced his fingers in front of his face and waited.

"Me, too," Karin announced quickly.

"And you?" The waitress had finally made her way down to Sakura who sat not on the stool next to Karin, but one seat down.

_Hmph_, thought Karin. _The further away from Sasuke-kun you are, the better_. She eyed Sakura as she curled her hand around Sasuke's bicep.

As Sakura placed her order, Karin was surprised to feel Sasuke's muscle flinch under her hand.

After they'd eaten in silence, Sasuke paid and, without a word, they were back on the trail. Karin thought she'd lose her voice completely if this total lack of conversation continued. Glancing at Sakura, she thought that there was no way in hell she was going to start some idle chitchat with _her_. She never would've believed it, but she actually missed Suigetsu—just his chatty ways, she amended.

She squinted as the painfully bright orange of the setting sun glinted off her glasses, temporarily blinding her.

"Sasuke-kun? It's really starting to get late. Don't you think we should make camp? It'll be too dark soon. It's going to take us a few days to reach the base. I really think we should stop now. Don't you?"

Karin huffed as Sasuke didn't even turn in her direction. He didn't flinch or scowl or _anything_! It's like he didn't even hear her!

She pushed a little harder off the next branch to catch up to him. She was about to complain that she had blisters on her feet and would he _please_ carry her, when she caught the intensity of his expression. His eyes were narrowed and focused. His hair fluttered like black feathers in the rush of wind. Karin squeezed her hands together and tucked them under her chin, _ooh_ing with delight—he was so delectable, she could just die!

A stutter in the rhythm of Sakura's steps interrupted Karin's contemplation of Sasuke's finer points. Karin jerked her head in her direction and glared. Sakura adjusted her pack and launched herself to the next tree.

As Karin turned back to Sasuke, she noticed his head turning to face forward as well. Had he been roused from his goal-oriented trance by _Sakura_? A silent fear bloomed in Karin's chest as she looked from Sasuke to Sakura.

"Sasuke-kun? Um, I have these blisters…and…" Karin trailed off as she watched Sasuke's eyes narrow, knowing she couldn't reach him.

Finally, when the peaches and pinks of sunset faded to the purples of twilight, they dropped into a clearing to make camp for the night.

"Karin. Take the canteens. There's a stream fifteen yards north," Sasuke commanded and he disappeared like a shadow to hunt for dinner.

Karin sent Sakura a warning glare before Sakura shrugged and wandered off into the trees.

_Hmph. She'd better be gathering firewood. I'm not going to do all the work around here._ Karin angrily rattled the canteens as she headed for the stream. _Why didn't Sasuke-kun give _her_ a job? Ohhh! He probably thinks she wouldn't be able to handle it_, she snickered to herself.

As much as she'd prefer to sit and rest, Karin realized she couldn't blatantly disobey him—Sasuke was technically the captain of their squad and his temper was very short today.

_But what if Sasuke gets back from hunting and she wanders back into camp?_ Karin wondered. There was no way she was leaving Sakura alone with _her_ Sasuke-kun—not after the looks she'd seen pass between them today.

A thrill ran through her as the solution to her problem popped into her head—Karin could track both of their chakra signatures. If they got back to camp before her and Sakura got anywhere near her Sasuke-kun, she'd be there in an instant.

"Brilliant!"

As soon as she was out of camp, Karin placed her hands together to activate her _Kagura Shingan_. She felt Sasuke's familiar, cool chakra—although, it was slightly more active than she remembered.

_Must be anxiety about the mission_, she thought.

Reaching out a little further, Karin was satisfied to find that Sakura's chakra signature was a distance away, slowly picking through the brush.

After filling the canteens, Karin made her way back up the hill toward camp. It was then that she saw the bright whirring of Sakura's chakra getting closer and closer to Sasuke.

She tracked Sakura stepping into the clearing and, immediately, both her and Sasuke's auras became agitated. She didn't know much about Sakura, but Karin had rarely seen Sasuke's chakra signature this irregular—so she ran.

As she broke through the thin trees bordering their campsite, both of them looked up at her—they were more than ten feet apart, so Karin's heart soared. Sakura dropped the bundle of branches in her arms and a kunai jumped into her fist—she was ready to fight.

"Karin? What happened? Are you all ri—"

A grunt from Sasuke stopped Sakura cold. She looked at him—he didn't look up from the fish he was staking—and then she looked back at Karin. Sakura seemed to collect herself. She holstered her kunai, picked up the dropped branches, and sat down opposite Sasuke, arranging the wood for a fire.

Karin panted, trying to catch her breath as she glared at Sakura. She could plainly see that the small grunt from Sasuke had sent her chakra spinning wildly, despite Sakura's placid exterior. Her initial elation was quickly squashed as she noted that Sasuke's chakra was buzzing as much as Sakura's. She set the canteens down near the pile of wood and steamed silently.

For the first time in her life, Karin glared angrily at Sasuke. She was having a hard time ascribing his flailing chakra pattern to mission-jitters anymore. She watched as he stiffly poked each fish through the mouth with a stick. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed his wooden movements and his stiff posture—where was the fluid, graceful man she'd followed for so long?

"Sasuke?"

He froze for a second as Sakura said his name—his chakra was now completely out of control.

"Could you light the fire?"

Karin almost laughed out loud. Sasuke may have hunted for Taka, but they'd always been expected to take care of the rest of camp life. Sasuke had never lit a fire for _them_, and he was surely not going to do it for _Sakura_.

Her eyes widened as she watched him immediately lift his hand to his mouth and blow a small _Katon_ into the pile of wood Sakura had carefully positioned—neither one looking at the other during the entire exchange.

Before she canceled her jutsu in disgust, she noticed how Sasuke had barely managed to get a portion of his chakra under control to form the minor jutsu.

Karin surprised herself when she wondered when this mission would be over.

* * *

><p>There are very few absolute goods in this world - cake, bacon, shirtless Sasuke, and Unicorn Paige. Thank you for being awesome, Paige! Oh, and for editing, too!<p>

And wow...I was overwhelmed by your reviews! Thank you all so much for reviewing, favoriting and putting Look Underneath on your Alert list. I'm really humbled and thankful!


	3. Chapter 3

Their second day traveling to the former headquarters of Uchiha Madara was a duplicate of the first. Silence followed them like a fourth teammate—Karin's near-constant cooing and whining notwithstanding.

Sakura tensed as Sasuke signaled for her and Karin to drop from the trees and make camp. Other than the grunt she'd gotten from him yesterday, he hadn't said a thing to her. He indicated what he wanted her to do with gestures and hand signals.

Sakura's stomach clenched. She thought it was more than she expected…or deserved.

Again, she left camp to gather firewood. She was thankful for the…_quiet_? No, she thought, that wasn't it. She was thankful for the time to let her guard down—her muscles ached with maintaining the appearance of impassivity. Sakura breathed deeply and rolled her shoulders, relaxing the tightness as she hunted for suitable branches and thought about her teammate.

As silent as he'd been, Sakura was surprised Sasuke had even grunted at her, given their current relationship—she scoffed, _Relationship?_ She was stunned he hadn't asked the Hokage to remove her from the mission altogether.

As Sakura stepped back into camp, she was glad to see only Karin, sitting on a rock with her arms folded. She shot Sakura a flinty-eyed look which she chose to ignore—they had a few days ahead of them and, as much as she disliked Karin, fighting with her wouldn't make this already difficult trip any easier.

"Where's Sasuke?" Sakura asked, more to break the silence than because she wanted to know—she figured he was hunting for dinner.

Karin harrumphed and sharply turned her head away.

_All right. Don't talk. Fine by me,_ thought Sakura.

It really _wasn't_ fine by her, though. With all the tension she held inside, Sakura felt about ready to explode. She missed Naruto's goofy ways and Sai's inappropriate remarks—she could use a good laugh. She'd settle for just a little conversation—even if it was with Karin. Instead, she stretched her arms high over her head and arched her back, exhaling out days of tension. Sakura hated to admit it, but she felt more relaxed without Sasuke around—every time she looked at him, the weight of guilt on her became heavier.

With one final pop of her shoulder joints, Sakura got to the task of setting up the campfire. Without preamble, Karin shot off the rock she'd been perched on and began raking her fingers through her hair, attempting to smooth it down. She shifted her shorts a little lower on her hips and tugged her shirt straight. A second later, Sasuke landed in their clearing.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun! You're back so soon! What a surprise!"

Sakura crinkled her brows in confusion—Karin was a sensor! She _knew_ Sasuke was coming—she'd probably been tracking him the entire time. Why was she acting so shocked? When she wrapped her arms around one of Sasuke's, Sakura had her answer. Karin just needed him to slow down for a second so she could grab a hold of him.

Apparently, Sakura had spent too much time letting her guard down because, before she could stop herself, she snorted derisively at Karin's tactics.

When two heads whipped in her direction, Sakura trained her eyes on the firewood, hoping neither one of them noticed the reddening of her cheeks.

* * *

><p>Karin gushed with every bite of dinner, complimenting Sasuke on the delicious rabbit he'd caught—she swore she'd never tasted better—to no avail. He'd hummed his typical, monosyllabic response once, and that was all the conversation she'd gotten.<p>

Karin thought she'd lose her mind from boredom. At least with Taka, Suigetsu was talkative and kept her entertained. She never realized Sasuke was so _dull_.

She glanced at him and thought with a smirk, _He's lucky he's so good-looking._

She watched him throw a bone into the fire, the fat crackling and flames flaring. He stuck the tip of his thumb into his mouth, sucking the last bit of juice off—Karin leaned forward as his full lips closed around it. Her eyes widened when she saw him pull his thumb slowly out, the tip of his tongue flicking across the pad of his finger.

"_Oooh_," Karin moaned, unable to contain her ecstasy. Two sets of eyes narrowed at her odd outburst and Karin quickly came back to reality.

"Um, really, _really_ good rabbit, Sasuke-kun. It's, uh, excellent."

Sasuke shrugged and pulled a whetstone out of his pack and began sharpening his blade. Sakura opened a book and leaned closer to the fire to read. Karin looked from one to the other and sighed.

She _really_ couldn't wait for this mission to end.

* * *

><p>Sakura was surprised when, after dinner, Karin volunteered to clean up. Her intentions, however, became clear with one sentence.<p>

"Sasuke-kun? I'll be down at the stream, washing up…if you _need_ me."

It took all of Sakura's willpower not to fling a kunai at her—until she came to a realization that made her throat close up.

She was alone with Sasuke.

Mustering up her courage, Sakura stole a glance at him. She'd intended to look at him for a second and then go back to her book, but she couldn't take her eyes off him—Sasuke was even more handsome than she remembered.

The silver of his headband's metal plate turned molten gold in the reflected flames. Her mind flashed to a thirteen-year-old Sasuke sitting across from her, the same Konoha hitai-ate tied around his head. His arms were not so thick with muscle. His legs were only as long as hers and not as corded with sinew as this man's. His chest had been small enough that she could wrap her arms around it. She knew her fingertips would barely touch if she embraced this man's broad chest. She swallowed hard and the image of a younger Sasuke dissipated in the cold night air.

The flickering firelight caused deep shadows to fall across his features, emphasizing the narrowing of his face—the full, smooth cheeks of boyhood were no more. Sakura was a little dizzy and disconcerted as she took in all the changes time had wrought in Sasuke. She was having difficulty finding the boy who was her friend in the face of the man sitting before her.

A spark of desire flared unexpectedly as she watched, hypnotized by the sure, skillful movement of his hands as they ran methodically down his katana. Her cheeks burned at the unbidden surge of longing. She forced her eyes from Sasuke to her book. Staring at the page before her, she counted to ten and turned a page with a shaky hand—she hadn't taken in a single word, but she had to keep up the façade of reading. She counted thirty seconds more—as her heart beat double-time—before she chanced another look.

Sakura thought that the onset of adulthood had carved a mesmerizing angularity into Sasuke. She found that when she gazed at him, she lost the ability or desire to blink. Every flex of muscle as he ran the stone expertly down his blade made her mouth go dry.

She wrenched her eyes back to her book and turned another page. Frustration rose in her—was _this_ what she'd been reduced to? _Peeking_ at Sasuke? Sakura gripped the edges of her book tightly and reprimanded herself for her weakness. She was a Konoha shinobi. A proud member of Team Seven.

And she loved him…with all of her heart.

Steeling herself, Sakura thought she _must_ lift her head and face him. She knew that she had wronged him, but they had been friends once. She would be brave and suffer whatever punishment Sasuke meted out.

Immediately, panic choked her. What if Sasuke _never_ wanted to repair the rift between them? What if his anger and disappointment in her was too much to move past?

She forcefully swallowed past the dry lump wedged in her throat. She would not live with regrets. She would no longer live as a coward.

Hoping her voice would not betray her fear, she lifted her head and opened her mouth to address him.

"Sasuke-kuuun!"

As their eyes locked, Sakura was perplexed. Was that _her_ voice screeching his name like that? And why was Sasuke already looking at her?

"Sasuke-kuuuuuun!"

As they both stared, eyes wide, Sakura found she was unable to utter a word. A cold thrill ran through her stomach.

His eyes!

Emotion welled up inside of her as she realized _this_ was one part of Sasuke that she remembered with perfect clarity, the one thing that had _not_ changed.

Now that the anger in them had disappeared, she could see the boy she loved was still in there. She was entranced, watching his lids slowly lower and then rise again to reveal the dusky blackness she'd longed to see again. An elated grin began to spread across Sakura's face as she saw a familiar warmth in Sasuke's eyes—could it be that there was hope for forgiveness after all?

"Oh, Sasuke-kuuuuuun!"

The spell around them was broken when Karin plopped herself on the ground next to Sasuke and wound her arms around his like a snake. She leaned her head against his shoulder, twirling her hair around her finger coquettishly.

The grin slid from Sakura's face at Karin's arrival and she hid in the safety of her book. She felt slightly off balance as she wondered if what she'd seen in Sasuke's eyes was real. She fought to keep her hands from shaking as she wondered…was there really a chance they could be friends again?

"Sasuke-kun, didn't you hear me? I was wondering if you wanted to come for a walk with me," Karin cooed bashfully.

Sakura lifted her eyes just enough to see Karin's shorts and midriff-baring top—how could she wear so little when Fire Country was well into autumn? Her lip unconsciously curled as she saw the belt Karin had made out of her hitai-ate. She knew she would never consider Karin a true ninja of the Leaf—the woman wouldn't even wear the uniform. Sakura felt pride in her green vest. She sneered at Karin's garish and impractical outfit as she pulled her cloak around her and shivered, partially from the cold and partially in disgust.

"The forest is so beautiful this time of night, Sasuke-kun, and so…_empty._" Her voice turned husky as she moved her lips closer to his ear.

There was no mistaking the implication—Karin's throaty invitation wasn't exactly subtle. Sakura grit her teeth, fighting against her murderous intent.

How was it that _this_ woman was the teammate Sasuke chose? What did _she_ have that Sakura didn't?

She ran her eyes over the provocative outfit that hugged Karin's curvaceous figure and flicked her eyes back to Sasuke who was now staring at the fire. Was he actually _considering_ her request?

She felt like she'd been kicked in the gut as she recalled her earlier thoughts of how exquisitely masculine Sasuke had become. When Sakura called him teammate, they were children. She lifted her book in front of her face like a shield, her eyes burning as she wondered if the adult Sasuke found things in Karin that he would _never_ see in her.

Sasuke unwound his arm from Karin's grip as he sat back, his gaze never wavering from the flames as he decreed, "We should get some rest. I'll take first watch."

Sakura felt her muscles relax at Sasuke's dismissal of Karin's offer as chills ran through her body at the deep rumble of Sasuke's voice. How different it was, and yet, how very much the same.

"And you'll come get me for second watch, Sasuke-kun?" purred Karin, her eyes sparkling.

Peering over the top of her book, Sakura thought contemptuously that it didn't matter what watch Karin took, she certainly wouldn't be looking out for _her_ safety. She wouldn't notice if Sakura was eaten by a giant bear in her sleep, but if one even sniffed in Sasuke's direction—well, she'd probably pull a _Lion's Barrage_ on it.

"No. You'll take third watch."

His eyes snapped up from the campfire, connecting with Sakura's and, despite her desperate wish to stop it, her breath left in a rush.

"Sakura…I'll wake you in a few hours."

She nodded slightly and before Karin could even finish whining his name, Sasuke took to the trees. Pouting and huffing, Karin finally got into her sleeping bag to sulk.

Sakura sat trembling by the fire. Looking into his eyes made his return to Konoha real.

_Her_ Sasuke-kun had come home.

She closed her eyes and swallowed with difficulty. Hearing him say her name—she felt like he'd reached out and touched her. Her heart was hammering in her chest. Her eyes snapped up to the treetops, knowing he was there…watching. Overwhelmed with an inexplicable panic by the thought of his gaze, Sakura needed to move—she had to get into her sleeping bag and think.

She slid inside her bedroll and snuggled into the downy warmth. As she began to relax into sleep, she smiled, hoping that, one day, Sasuke might find it in himself to cordially coexist with her in the village. Maybe they might even be friends again. With these happy thoughts lulling her, Sakura drifted peacefully to sleep.

* * *

><p>High in the treetops on watch, Karin slapped at another mosquito and scratched her leg. <em>Aren't bugs supposed to die in the cold<em>, she thought, scratching herself raw. _Irritating pests._

As she waved her hand all around, shooing bugs away, Karin wished it was this easy to shoo _other pests_ away. Her eyes landed on Sakura sleeping near the fire.

She hated the idea of anyone _female_ within ten feet of Sasuke. During the time they spent together as Taka, Karin had become an expert at keeping all other women at bay—which was no easy feat, considering Sasuke's irresistible good looks. Although he hadn't shown an interest in anyone before, there was no telling when he might get the itch—and Karin wanted to be sure she was the only available woman to scratch it for him.

So far, that day hadn't come, but Karin could wait. She was _very_ patient.

Keeping Sakura at bay would be a little harder than most, she thought. Sakura and Sasuke had a history together—they had been teammates. Karin knew how highly Sasuke regarded Naruto, but she was unsure about the depth of his feelings for his pink-haired teammate.

She thought about how she'd detected both of their disturbed chakra signatures yesterday and huffed angrily at what it implied. She also mulled over Sasuke's attentiveness to Sakura—Karin had to fight for every scrap of attention she could get from him, but one word from Sakura and Sasuke was jumping to her aid.

Sakura was clearly a threat—she'd have to look for an opening to drive a wedge between her and Sasuke. Karin would not allow _anyone_ to take what was rightfully hers.

Looking down on him from a sturdy branch as she continued to keep watch, Karin giggled with delight as any irritating thoughts she had melted away at the sight of Sasuke's handsome face.

He was comfortably sprawled out in his sleeping bag. She gazed at the gentle flush of sleep on his cheeks and the way his hands were thrown above his head like a child in slumber. Karin chose not to look at the way his one hand stretched higher above his head, as if reaching out toward the sleeping bag just feet away from his.

* * *

><p>Sakura shifted and stretched in the cold, gray dawn. Automatically folding up her bedroll and strapping it to her pack, she looked from the fire to her teammates.<p>

It seemed that sitting in the trees was too far away from Sasuke for Karin's liking, so she'd crept closer to him during the early morning—so close that she was sitting just inches from him. As Sakura's eyes fell on her, Karin sneered and moved another inch closer to Sasuke.

Despite her previous doubts, Sakura felt her confidence rise as she noted that, while Karin was sitting _near_ the still-sleeping Sasuke, she'd still kept a fair distance from him.

Was she _afraid_ of coming closer?

Sakura reassessed her earlier conclusions about Sasuke and Karin's relationship. Maybe she was nothing more than an overeager fanatic. Maybe she held no sway over Sasuke's heart. Relief washing over her, she filled a pot with water for tea and set it over the flames as she left to catch some breakfast.

There was only the sound of her feet shushing through piles of rust-colored leaves to break the silence that followed her to the stream—nothing to distract her from her thoughts of Sasuke.

Sakura's hopeful mood from last night when she'd locked eyes with Sasuke was still with her this morning. She thought she'd seen something different in his gaze than the anger she'd seen previously. Last night, his eyes were the eyes of _her_ Sasuke-kun again—the boy she'd fallen in love with, the boy who had been her friend. Her longing for that boy was a physical pain in her chest.

_But_, she thought painfully, _he's not a boy anymore, is he?_

Shaking her head at her roller-coaster of emotions, she thought about Karin. _There must be something special about her. Why would he choose her, otherwise? _

She was aware of Karin's rare talent for sensing chakra. She was sure that had been a valuable tool in Sasuke's search for his brother. But what if there was _another_ reason Sasuke selected her? Sakura had always taken pride in her own tightly muscled physique. She wasn't as soft and curvy as Ino, but she wasn't completely devoid of feminine assets. She chastised herself for even entertaining the thought, but she couldn't help but wonder—was she not _attractive_ to Sasuke?

She immediately tried to put a stop to that way of thinking—she and Sasuke were barely even friends and she was wondering if he thought she was _attractive_? What was wrong with her?

Sakura channeled chakra to her foot and stomped on the shore, causing glittering fish to leap from the water. As she impaled three with deadly accuracy, her thoughts wandered again. What if Sasuke just didn't care for her _type_? Would he choose a more well-endowed woman to share a—she swallowed bitterly—relationship with?

In all her years spent loving Sasuke, Sakura had never once thought that he simply wouldn't like her. She thought that, if she worked hard enough, he would surely see how deeply she cared and that would be enough.

She gutted the fish by the shore with a little more violence than was necessary as her misery began to snowball. Rinsing her weapons and the fish in the lake, she knew she had to nip this thinking in the bud. She took a deep breath and resolved not to let her heart overpower her. She would focus on the path in front of her—complete this mission and work on gaining Sasuke's trust as a friend once again. She willed herself not to think any further than that.

As she neared camp, Sakura heard Karin's girlish giggle and froze. What if she walked in on something she did _not_ want to see? Her legs were already taking backward steps before Sakura stopped herself.

She would _not_ be a coward.

Breaking three long, thin branches from the nearest tree, Sakura took aggressive strides toward camp, keeping her eyes on the ground. She sat down by the fire and began staking each fish on the broken twigs and forcefully planting them near the flames.

The comforting smell of tea filled her nose as warm curls of steam drifted around her face—a cup had appeared directly under her chin. She looked up to see Sasuke, his eyes averted, holding out the hot drink to her. She glanced over to see Karin on the opposite side of camp, her arms crossed and her face red and sulky. She flicked her eyes back toward Sasuke to see that he was now staring at her—probably wondering why she hadn't taken the cup, she realized with alarm.

Trying to regain her composure, she moved her gaze from him to the tea as she slid both hands around the mug and murmured, "Thank you."

His hand lingered beneath hers for a moment, causing her to look up. Warmth exploded in her chest as she saw the faintest ghost of a smirk on Sasuke's face.

"You're welcome."

* * *

><p>Okay...so...I need your help. Some person, who shall remain nameless (but her pen name ends in Paige and begins with a mythical creature), says there's a curse on third chapters-they don't get reviewed! Please show this anonymous person that third chapters rule! Review until you can't review no more! And know that you have my undying gratitude...you all make me smile like a crazy person!<p>

Anyhoo, I owe my lack of sanity and flawless commas to the masterful beta skillz of Unicorn Paige. You are the very, very best...even if you're wrong about cabbage.


	4. Chapter 4

The whoosh of crisp, cool wind rushing past her ears and through her fiery hair was exhilarating. Karin woke this morning with renewed focus. Despite Sasuke's preoccupation with their mission, she was determined to find a way through to him—to find a way into his heart.

_First_, she thought with a sneer, _I need to figure out a way to get rid of _her_._

Karin burned just thinking about Sakura as the three of them leaped through the treetops. She'd seen the way Sasuke kept furtively glancing at her last night while she read.

When he announced that he was taking first watch and Sakura would be on second, it took all of Karin's composure not to scream. Instead, she'd spent a fitful night, tossing and turning in her sleeping bag, thinking about Sasuke coming to Sakura's bedside to rouse her. The romantic possibilities of the scenario were not lost on Karin. That's why she had vied for the second watch—she had hoped to finally entice Sasuke into some _quality time_ in her bedroll.

When Sakura pushed her awake in the early hours of the morning for third watch, Karin scrutinized her chakra carefully for any evidence of a late-night tryst—satisfied when she sensed only negligible traces of Sasuke's chakra on Sakura.

Karin grit her teeth as she thought about the way that ridiculously buxom Hokage looked at her as she protested Sakura's inclusion on this assignment. Karin was perfectly capable of handling the medical side of this mission. They didn't need _her_ tagging along. She and Sasuke were more than enough.

Sighing, she thought how romantic it would be—the two of them leaping through the autumn-painted forest hand in hand. She found that if she kept her head tilted at just the right angle, she could see only Sasuke and imagine that the pink-haired gatecrasher didn't exist.

Seeing him gracefully jump from one tree to the next made her heart beat faster. The rhythmic thump of their feet on branches matched her racing heart like some wonderful symphony. Karin sighed yet again and lost herself in the _thump, thump, thump_ as she and Sasuke moved in perfect harmony.

_Thump, thump, thump. _

She watched with narrowed eyes as Sasuke drifted closer to Sakura. How was Karin supposed to imagine Sakura wasn't there if he kept moving toward her!

_Thump, thump, thump. _

The back of Sasuke's hand lightly brushed against Sakura's knuckles as they landed on the next branch.

_Thump, thump, CRACK! _

Both Sakura and Sasuke swiveled their heads around to catch Karin's surge of chakra splinter the branch she'd just landed on. Steam practically poured from her ears as she fumed over their proximity and the guilty pink that tinted their cheeks.

Karin timed her next jump so that she landed right between the two of them. As her foot touched the next tree, Karin made sure to brush her whole arm against Sasuke's. When he turned to her, she gave him a look that somehow managed to combine shy innocence with lechery Jiraiya would've been proud of.

Sasuke asked, "Karin, do you sense anything?"

Karin gave Sakura a hard look that said _I'm useful and you're not!_ as she placed her hands together to focus her _Kagura Shingan_ technique. She stretched her mind's eye as far as she could, but she didn't find the chakra signature she knew Sasuke was looking for.

Like she had so many times during their days as Taka, Karin turned doleful eyes to Sasuke's expectant expression and shook her head. She was crushed to find his eyes immediately leave hers as his mouth pressed into a hard line. She wanted so badly to give him another answer, to show him that she could be important to him—she could be useful.

She turned to see Sakura jumping next to her and, immediately, her anger rose. To think that Sasuke would want to brush his hand against _hers_ made Karin's blood pressure spike.

As long as she'd known him, Sasuke had never done anything without purpose—which meant he _intended_ to touch the pink-haired witch! The only time Sasuke intentionally touched Karin was when she had healed him—and that was because he would've died otherwise. Was that how it was, Karin thought angrily. He would only touch her if his other choice was _death_?

It also seemed that every time Karin looked at Sasuke, he was sneaking peeks at Sakura. Karin sneered, thinking that the _mighty Uchiha_ looked like nothing more than a nervous schoolboy with a crush.

Karin's stomach plummeted with her mood. She wondered why Sasuke didn't look at her like that. What was it that Sakura could give him that she could not? Why didn't Sasuke turn to her to find this _something_?

She knew Sasuke and Sakura had been teammates when they were children, but…so what? That was _years_ ago. Karin had helped Sasuke through some of the toughest battles of his life. Without her, Sasuke would've died. Why didn't he see that?

Karin's desperate thoughts were cut short when she almost choked on a wave of chakra that rolled over her like a tsunami.

She stopped short and locked her hands into her signature jutsu's handsign. Hostile energies were approaching quickly. She was pleased to see that Sasuke had stopped and was looking at her expectantly when her eyes finally cracked open. She would show Miss Pink-hair who the _really_ useful one was.

"Sasuke-kun! There are fourteen—no, fifteen enemies approaching. Jounin-level chakra," she announced with authority. "They'll intersect with our current position in thirty seconds."

Karin felt her confidence soar as Sasuke nodded approvingly. She folded her arms in smug satisfaction.

_Let's see _her_ do that! _

"Sakura."

She watched Sakura lock eyes with Sasuke at the sound of her name. Before he could say another word, she nodded and disappeared from the branch. Karin was shocked when she saw his grasping hand reach out for Sakura, like he wanted to pull her back.

Sasuke quickly turned back to Karin. Could it be…was that…_fear_ in his eyes? No, Karin thought as she shook her head—not _her_ Sasuke-kun.

"Stay right behind me and track them all."

"Of course, Sasuke-kun!" Karin made to grip his arm.

Sasuke shrugged her hand away, commanding, "Let me know how many and stay put, understand?"

Karin was elated that Sasuke was so concerned for her safety, but she didn't have much time to dwell on that as the tree they were standing in began to shake violently.

_An earthquake as well as enemy ninja?_ she wondered, gripping the tree in panic.

Sasuke raised an expectant eyebrow at Karin and she remembered her job. Pressing her hands together, she reached out with her chakra and couldn't believe what she saw.

Karin was unable to conceal her surprise when she turned to Sasuke and said, "_That_ was Sakura. She just took out four of them."

She was not at all pleased to see one corner of Sasuke's mouth pull up into a half-smile.

"Let's go before she gets them all."

* * *

><p>Sakura ducked beneath an oncoming flock of shuriken. She immediately traced them back to their source and returned fire. Hearing a yelp, she knew she'd landed at least one. There was no time to celebrate small victories as a fist whizzed by her ear. Instinctively, Sakura's foot shot out and connected, shattering a kneecap. She followed up with a chakra-enhanced uppercut and knew this was one enemy who was not getting up again.<p>

Leaping into the upper branches to get a better view of the battle, Sakura saw Sasuke across the clearing. She was surprised that he was staying in one spot, but she supposed the enemy would eventually come to him. She watched in awe as he moved precisely, gracefully—like a blood-splattered dancer. Kusanagi sliced easily through an opposing shinobi—blood blooming on his pale tunic like a delicate flower.

From her high vantage point, Sakura saw three enemies racing toward Sasuke. He was already fending off three attackers. Despite knowing he could take them all on, she wasn't about to sit still when there was a fight going on.

Her eyes glued to Sasuke, Sakura saw him run through the hand seals for a _Chidori Eisou_. Sakura's sharp mind judged the speed of the three ninja, their distance to Sasuke and her knowledge that his spear attack had a range of about thirty feet. If she could handle one of the three and slow down the other two, Sasuke would have plenty of time to take down his three attackers and then turn his lightning spear on these two.

Running across a branch and leaping into the fray like she was diving into a pool of calm, clear water, Sakura readied her _Ranshinsho_. Two quick chops to the back of the enemies' necks allowed her to release her nerve-disabling jutsu. They ran another five feet forward before they fell into a twitching mess. As the third ninja moved to attack, Sakura focused chakra to her foot and ran toward him. He threw a hand out to grab her, but she slid under his guard at the last second and kicked her leg up high. She caught him square in the chest with a burst of chakra and watched as he soared into the air. A flash of light behind her told her that Sasuke had just discharged his _Chidori_.

The whistle of an incoming kunai made Sakura jerk her head back—she wasn't quick enough and frowned when a wisp of pink hair fluttered to the ground. Her eyes were drawn to the gleam of wire that she followed from the kunai, now sunk into a nearby tree, back to Sasuke hand which lingered on the Tiger seal. A smile curled Sakura's lips as she realized Sasuke's plan. She left a clone behind and slipped into the treetops.

Limping pitifully, Sakura's clone leaned against the tree with the kunai. She looked around with frightened eyes and whimpered, "Sasuke-kun? P-please…help me…"

From a higher branch, the real Sakura was shocked at how easily tears slipped from her clone's eyes. She looked away, unhappy with how weak and defenseless she looked—knowing it was part of the ruse didn't make it any less painful to watch.

The rustle of leaves told her that their prey was approaching the bait. Suddenly, an enemy ninja jumped out of a bush, a kunai in each hand.

"You're mine now!" he roared as he ran to the cowering Sakura clone.

Three large shuriken buzzed past him and disappeared behind the tree. The shinobi was confused for a second, but continued his path toward the duplicate Sakura. He was an inch away from sinking his blades into her chest when the three shuriken came whizzing back around the tree, encircling the clone and her attacker. As he was slammed against her by the tightening wire, Sakura's clone disappeared in a puff of smoke. Only then did the enemy realize his mistake as the heat of Sasuke's _Ryuuka no Jutsu_ blazed down the wire. His eyes went wide—the last thing he saw was the scorching brilliance of the Dragon Fire as it consumed him in seconds.

Elated by their seamless teamwork, Sakura danced through the treetops toward Sasuke. As she dropped into the clearing near him, Sakura felt a hollow pang resound in her chest—she'd discovered the reason why Sasuke was rooted to one spot.

Tucked securely behind him in the cleft of a tree, was Karin, her hands locked in a focusing gesture. Sakura was unsure of Karin's fighting abilities, but now she could see that, for Sasuke, fighting with Karin by his side was like having eyes in the back of his head. She whispered into his ear and Sasuke turned left, slicing in a wide arc, gutting a previously unseen enemy wide open.

Sakura turned burning eyes away from the pair. She tried to tell herself that it didn't bother her one bit to see the two of them functioning like a team, but it hurt too much to believe the lie.

"_Sakura_!"

Karin's scream froze her for a moment as Sakura watched a masked shinobi bearing down on her teammate, a double-bladed axe arcing toward Karin's neck.

"Behind you!"

Sakura's mind saw the events unfurl so slowly—she felt detached from reality as she saw Sasuke jerk his head in her direction, his eyes wide. She sensed the presence at her back that Karin had warned her about as chakra scalpels sprang from her hand. Anxious red eyes left hers and she watched Sasuke's sword move to block the axe.

He'd chosen to protect _Karin_.

Flinging her arm behind her, Sakura connected with her attacker's shoulder, severing tendons and nerves from the inside. His limb dangled uselessly at his side and he looked from his arm to her in surprise. She used his temporary shock to her advantage—cocking her fist back and smashing it into the side of his head.

Sakura turned back to find Karin on the ground, a deep gash in her thigh, blood leaking everywhere. Running toward the wounded woman, she watched Sasuke jump over a sweeping kick as he battled the axe-wielding shinobi. He swung his blade forcefully toward his opponent just as she reached Karin.

Immediately, Sakura focused her chakra to her hand and moved it toward the wound. Before she could touch her, Karin clamped her fingers around her wrist. Their eyes met and, through her hard gaze, Sakura understood her distrust.

"Karin, please," Sakura assured her. Her feelings for her patient never factored into Sakura's drive to heal—as a medic-nin, she had sworn an oath to this effect.

As the grip on her wrist loosened, Sakura went to work assessing Karin's condition. The axe must've been quite sharp and heavy as her quadricep had been neatly severed and her femur was fractured. She quickly closed up the leaking wound as she gently lowered Karin's head to the ground. She had to admit, she was surprised at how well Karin was bearing up under what Sakura knew to be a very painful injury. She was nowhere near death, but she was sure it hurt.

A hot spray across her cheek caused Sakura to look up from her work. The lifeless _thump_ of the final enemy hitting the ground met her ears as Sasuke dashed toward them, sheathing his katana.

"Is she all right?" he asked, swiping his hand across Sakura's cheek and wiping the blood on his pants.

Sakura was taken aback by his rough, familiar contact—how quickly one touch ignited her desire for him—and then by the concern in Sasuke's voice…for Karin.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" Karin's quavering voice sounded distant. Sakura almost laughed at her theatrics. Her wound was practically healed—she was sure Sasuke wouldn't be swayed by her overacting.

"I'm here," he said, kneeling as she reached out for him. Sakura watched, stunned, as Sasuke slid his hand into Karin's—the same hand that left her face burning from its brief touch.

She knew she couldn't look at them any longer without confusion and fury compromising her ability to heal, so Sakura turned her attention back to the wound, pushing back against her own—she hated to admit it—flashes of longing and jealousy. She'd mended the bone and stabilized the injury, but she'd need to reconnect the muscle in stages. Sakura wound some anesthetizing chakra through Karin's system.

"Sasuke," she said with a little more irritation in her voice than she wanted. "You should set up camp somewhere close. I'll need to do some additional healing on her, but I'd like to get her cleaned up first." She indicated Karin's blood-drenched legs.

He nodded and crouched to pick up Karin before Sakura waved him off and roughly jerked Karin into her arms.

"I've got her."

She was glad for Karin's slightly woozy state—Sakura was sure she would've argued for Sasuke's arms to be wrapped around her.

"There should be a lake about thir—"

"I know," she interrupted him, irked at his overbearing concern as she marched her patient toward the water.

She was flushed and angry at herself for how quickly her old feelings resurfaced—she could still feel the sensation of his hand on her cheek.

* * *

><p>Sakura sent Sasuke to gather firewood just to get him out of her hair while she finished healing Karin. He'd hovered over the two of them like a mother hen. Sakura thought she might grind her teeth to dust if she didn't get him the hell out of her way.<p>

_What's his problem?_ she thought as the glow on her hands blinked out. Karin was certainly in no danger of dying or being permanently damaged. Why was he fretting so much? Was it because they were so close to their destination—so close to all the memories that came with being near Madara's former base? Or was it something else?

Attempting to shake the hurt and confusion, Sakura dusted off her hands and hunted around for Karin's pack—she'd need to put some dry clothes on her before she settled her into a sleeping bag to recover. Sakura thought she'd like to get that done while Karin was still sedated and incapable of arguing.

Yanking open Karin's over-stuffed pack, Sakura drowned in a tide of silky lingerie. She grabbed at the risqué panties and blushed furiously as she jammed them all back into the pack. She cinched it closed and threw it to the ground, panting like she'd been attacked. Sakura turned to the dozing Karin and sneered—_this_ was what she thought was mission-wear? She pulled out a pair of standard jounin pants and a t-shirt from her own pack and redressed Karin.

"Sas'kun?" Karin said shakily, finally coming around.

Sakura sighed, knowing that chakra sedation didn't have the groggy after-effects that narcotic anesthetics did. Karin was clearly faking.

"Are you there, Sasuke-kun?"

"He's not here, Karin. He went to get firewood. You can stop acting."

Karin sat up and looked around as if she didn't believe her.

"What the hell am I wearing," she asked, pawing at Sakura's t-shirt.

"I couldn't find anything _appropriate_ in your pack," Sakura said with a curl of her upper lip.

"Well, I'm not wearing this sack with Sasuke-kun arou—"

Sakura froze in panic as Karin suddenly stopped talking and flopped back onto her sleeping bag, gripping her leg and groaning.

"Karin?"

She was certain she'd done everything right. Her injury was a fairly routine one as far as battle injuries go. Sakura was about to channel chakra to her hands when Karin stopped complaining and hiked up her shirt slightly before thrashing violently and moaning, "Sasuke-kun? _Sasuke-kun?_"

"You're kidding, right?" Sakura asked, disgusted by her ridiculous histrionics.

Sasuke appeared out of nowhere, dropping an armful of tree limbs to the ground and walking quickly toward Karin.

Turning to Sakura, brows creased in concern, he asked, "What's going on?"

Sakura boiled. She knew she was jealous, but just because she could put a name on her feeling, didn't make it any easier to handle. Knowing it was wrong of her, but unable to stop, Sakura put on a mask of concern and said, "Let me just have a look." She nudged Sasuke aside and laid her hands on Karin. Sending a pulse of chakra directly to the pain center in Karin's spinal cord, Sakura gave her nervous system a buzz.

Karin jumped up out of her bedroll, screaming, "Ow! What the hell was that for?" She began poking Sakura threateningly in the shoulder, pushing her backwards with every jab. "You'd better stay the hell away from me if you know what's good for you," she snarled, inches from Sakura's face.

"Karin?"

Sakura smiled when Karin froze at the sound of Sasuke's voice.

"Ow! Ow!" Karin grimaced as she clutched at her leg. Limping, she made her way back to her bedroll and dropped to the ground. "Oh! Sasuke-kun! I'm so sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to get the water tonight. I think it's best if I just rest," she said, dragging a shaky hand across her forehead.

Sakura snatched up the canteens, saying, "No problem. I got it." She couldn't be around Karin one minute longer without exploding. She turned toward the stream, relieved to get away. She hadn't even taken a step outside of the campsite when guilt flooded her. What had she done? Like it or not, Karin was her patient. And Sasuke—well, he certainly didn't need _this_ kind of behavior on a mission that was surely troubling enough.

"Sakura," Sasuke called after her. "We should get something to eat as well." Sakura didn't miss the _we_ in that sentence as she clutched the canteens in a sweaty grip. Her throat closed up with nerves as Sasuke fell into step beside her.

* * *

><p>Sasuke felt stupid. Sakura had seen through Karin's deceit so easily—and had even forced her to expose her charade. Why hadn't he realized Karin was manipulating him? As much as he didn't want to admit to it, he knew the answer.<p>

_Guilt._

As soon as Karin had warned of the upcoming battle, Sasuke was formulating a plan to take on all fifteen adversaries on his own—knowing that Karin was not skilled in fighting and not knowing a thing about Sakura's skills.

What kind of captain was he, he thought glumly.

When Sakura caught his eye and dropped from the tree to fight, Sasuke wanted to grab her, to bring her back. He felt ice fill his stomach as he had a vision of his long-haired, genin teammate cowering in the battle like a lamb among wolves. He needed to stop her…to protect her.

When Karin gaped over Sakura's immediate takedown of four enemy-nin at once, Sasuke felt a weight lift from his shoulders and a warmth fill his chest.

Sakura could take care of herself.

During the fight, she'd read him so easily—combining her skills with his seamlessly. He glanced at her sure steps, the canteens swinging by her side. Where was the frightened girl who would tremble behind him? Sasuke recalled his confidence skyrocketing every time he protected her in their youth—it felt so strange knowing that she didn't need him.

When her clone had cried out to him, the sharp sting of memory almost made him swallow his _Katon_. The fear and desperation that the thought of Sakura in danger wrought in him was unbearable. Knowing it was just a clone didn't relieve Sasuke's need to run to her, to scoop her up and take her to safety. It had taken a tremendous amount of willpower to trust her and stay put.

However, when Sasuke saw that shinobi bearing down on an unsuspecting Sakura, his gut twisted painfully—his body instinctively twitched in her direction—the desire to protect her nearly overwhelming him. Before he could take a step in her direction, he felt the chakra of the axe-wielding ninja closing in on Karin.

He couldn't protect them both—he had to choose one.

When his Sharingan detected a surge of chakra in Sakura's hand, he knew she would be okay. His hesitation, however, caused him to block the axe awkwardly, which allowed for Karin's injury.

He hadn't trusted in Sakura's abilities as a shinobi—all he saw was the girl who spent their youth quivering behind him. As he chanced a glance at her gazing placidly out at the horizon, he realized he didn't know this woman at all.

Where was the girl who knew he would stand between her and any enemy? Where was the girl who giggled and smiled at everything he said? Where was the girl who loved him with all her heart, he thought as he swallowed against an uneasy swoop in his stomach.

"Sasuke?" He was startled by the concern in her eyes. Sakura quirked her head at his stillness—she was already filling the canteens. "Aren't you going to fish?"

He nodded numbly, shocked that they were already at the water's edge. Pulling his shirt over his head, Sasuke reached into his pouch for three kunai and then hooked his shirt on a low-hanging branch. Turning back to the stream, he almost walked into Sakura. When had she come nearer? She reached out and wrapped her hand around his—her fingers were soft and cool, but where she'd touched his hand felt like he'd been burned.

"I-I can do that," she stuttered as she made to pull the kunai from his hand. Something in Sasuke's chest exploded when he saw her so close. All his nightmares of her terror-filled eyes were wiped away—there was the warm green that he'd almost forgotten. He loosened his hold on the blades as he nodded. His grip tightened again as her tenuous smile slid into a frown.

"Why didn't you say something?"

Her brows furrowed as her gaze landed on his chest. Her hands glowed as her fingertips skated across some inch-deep gashes on his chest and shoulders. Sakura's chakra was tranquil as she erased his injuries, but it made his stomach squirm oddly—like he'd swallowed eels. He marveled at the ease with which she smoothed his skin. In her face, he could see the self-assurance that came with unquestionable skill.

With her hands still resting on his skin, she looked up at him—a spark of something familiar in her eyes made hope leap inside of him. Had he really been so desperate to put the light out of those eyes? Self-loathing loomed before she broke the silence.

"Sasuke, I-I was wondering…what I mean is…maybe we could…" Sakura flushed and looked away. "We should—we should get some fish." She slid the kunai from his hand and walked to the shore.

The jittering in his stomach doubled—there was an inexplicable elation in him that he hadn't experienced for a long time. Confused, Sasuke walked quickly to join Sakura on the shoreline. He couldn't fathom his body's reactions. He needed to shed his turmoil with some physical action.

He took quick splashing steps through the shallows before he jumped in to the chilly stream. He thought he saw Sakura move before he dove deep into the icy water, but he needed to focus on circulating chakra to warm himself now—he needed to prevent his body from rebelling against the frigid temperature. Plunging headfirst into a school of fat carp, he waved his arms to drive them to the surface. When he heard the telltale _thunk, thunk, thunk_ of three kunai finding their targets, he surfaced.

Sakura collected the fish and giggled as he struggled to the shore. "You didn't need to jump in, you know. I _tried_ to stop you."

He looked at her as he panted and dripped, his forehead creased in confusion. In answer, she stepped to the edge of the water and slammed her boot down on the shore. He felt the vibration through the soles of his feet as several shining fish shot out of the water and wriggled in the dying sunlight before splashing back into the water.

His surprise and approval must've been written on his face because when he looked back at her, Sakura was blushing, her fingers bashfully tucking stray hair behind her ear. The simple gesture lifted his mood.

"Nice," he said. A smirk curved his mouth as he teased, "But you didn't try very hard to stop me, did you?" The cold turned his breathy chuckle into puffs of smoke, but he warmed when Sakura's mouth shifted from an astonished _oh_ to a genuine smile. He flipped his hands through a quick seal as his skin heated rapidly, evaporating the water into a billowy cloud.

"Nice. You'll show me how to do that one day?" Sakura asked as she gathered the canteens.

"Hm," he grunted, pulling his shirt over his head to hide his smile. There was the promise of a future between them in her words and it filled him with such lightheartedness that he could not stop his grin. He composed himself and popped his head out of the collar.

"Do you have an elemental affinity?" Sasuke asked, picking up the fish and turning toward the path back to camp.

He almost laughed again when Sakura looked shocked and then insulted.

"Of course I do!"

"Fire?"

Sakura blushed and hung her head. "No."

"_Che_," Sasuke scoffed with an amused smirk.

"But I could learn," Sakura said with a bright smile.

Sasuke had to turn his head away to hide his own grin. If anyone could possibly _learn_ an elemental chakra skill, it would only be Sakura.

* * *

><p>Sakura had to restrain herself from choking Karin with the bandage she was wrapping around her thigh. She had moaned and cried until Sakura relented and conceded to cover her practically-healed wound in gauze. All Karin really needed was a blood pill and some rest and she'd be as good as new.<p>

When Sakura peeled back the cover on Karin's bedroll, however, she understood why the woman had fought so hard for the bandage.

While she and Sasuke were fishing, Karin took the opportunity to change into one of the revealing outfits that had sprung from her bag.

Sakura rolled her eyes at Karin's flirtatious posturing. A quick glance at Sasuke assured her that he was bent to the task of prepping and cooking their dinner—he hadn't even noticed Karin's costume change. Sakura tied up the gauze, flipped Karin's cover back over her, and slumped, exhausted, against a rock near the fire. What a day it had been.

Sasuke filled a bowl with rice and slid a fish off the skewer and into the bowl. Sakura watched with a sinking feeling as he grabbed some chopsticks and walked over to Karin.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun. You are just _so_ thoughtful. But I really don't feel strong enough to feed myself. Do you think you could—"

Sakura had to bite her lip to keep from laughing when Sasuke opened her hand, laid the chopsticks across her palm, and closed her fist around them. He placed the bowl on the ground in front of her and walked back around the fire. Sakura was so amused that she didn't even realize what Sasuke was doing when he balanced two bowls on his arm, filled them and plopped down next to her, holding out a pair of chopsticks.

She stammered wordlessly until he nudged her arm with a bowl. She quickly grabbed the utensils and rice with a murmured, "Thanks," as they ate in silence.

"So," Sasuke began uncomfortably.

Sakura froze with her chopsticks still in her mouth. Was _Sasuke_ starting a conversation with her? She almost choked on her rice.

"That jutsu you used on the last nin—that was a medical technique?" He flicked his eyes to her and then back to his bowl as he pushed some rice into his mouth.

Sakura didn't know what to say. She was delirious with glee but, despite her bursting heart, her brain continued to work with precision.

She was sure Sasuke's back was toward her when she'd formed the chakra scalpels—he was already blocking the axe headed for Karin. When a flash of red eyes appeared in her mind, she knew that Sasuke had seen the chakra forming in her hand with his Sharingan before she'd fully materialized the jutsu. He knew she was prepping an offensive move, so he leaped between Karin and the axe-wielding nin. Sakura blushed when she realized what that meant.

Sasuke knew she could take care of herself.

She slowly pulled the chopsticks from her mouth and took a long swallow of tea to give her a second to blink back happy tears.

"Um, yeah. It's what I use for surgery."

"Surgery?" Sasuke looked at her askance.

"I _am_ a medic, you know," she said glaring at him with a half-grin. "It's pretty useful. I can make internal cuts without opening the skin, which is great when you're working on the battlefield where the conditions are far from sterile."

"Uh-huh," Sasuke said distractedly. He laid his bowl aside and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes.

"Sasuke? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said with some irritation. "Just a little sore."

Sakura moved closer and asked, "Can I—can I have a look?"

She bit her lip hard when she saw Sasuke's hands stop scrubbing at his eyes—she should've never opened her big mouth! Things had been going so well between them. Surprisingly well. So much better than Sakura had ever hoped. And now she'd gone too far. He might be willing to talk to her, but he certainly didn't trust her enough to give her access to his Sharingan—it was his clan's most precious gift. But Sakura knew she could help—she'd healed Kakashi's Sharingan many times before when he overused it. Their sensei exhibited the same symptoms—a deep, internal soreness and itchy dryness.

As Sasuke's silence continued, Sakura was about to withdraw her request with a joke—act like she was only kidding when she'd offered to infiltrate his most prized shinobi secret—when Sasuke pulled his hands from his bloodshot eyes and blinked at her.

"Okay."

Surprise, fear, happiness—could one person really feel all these things in a single second? Sakura took a deep breath to make the trembling of her hands less noticeable and activated her _Shousen_ jutsu. She closed her eyes and laid her hands against his head, winding her chakra carefully through Sasuke's system. She hummed as she concentrated on relieving his symptoms.

"What?"

She almost jumped at the sound of Sasuke's voice. Sakura had been so engrossed in examining his chakra pathways that she'd forgotten who she was healing. She opened her eyes reflexively, and immediately regretted it. Her nose was an inch away from Sasuke's—she could feel his breath on her lips when he asked, "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing," she stuttered, adding embarrassment to her list of jumbled emotions. She closed her eyes quickly as she gently floated her chakra through the entire network of nerves, blood vessels and chakra pathways in Sasuke's eyes, attempting to cool the itching and burning.

Curling her tongue against the corner of her upper lip as she lost herself in her task, she felt Sasuke's heartbeat begin to pick up. Sakura was distracted from her examination—had he detected an approaching enemy? She knew that if it was really a problem, he would warn her. She pulled her bottom lip under her front teeth and refocused herself.

The throb of Sasuke's heartbeat sped up noticeably as it thumped against the chakra she wound through his body. As Sakura blinked in concern and directed her attention to his face, the first thing she noticed was that he was working hard to control his breathing. Her brow furrowed at this—what had him so worked up? She flicked her eyes to his and found they were directed at her lips—she was thrilled and alarmed all at once. When Sakura self-consciously released her lip from her teeth, Sasuke's eyes came back to hers. Her fingers slowly slid from his temples as she withdrew her chakra from his system.

Sakura felt her own heart begin to race. Her lips tingled as if they'd been touched when his eyes shot back to her mouth, then up to her eyes again. Her fingers continued to slide over his vaulted cheekbones and down his jaw. Time seemed to stop for Sakura—until Karin clanged her chopsticks against her bowl like a dinner bell.

"Sasuke-kun! I'm finished! Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke reached up and clasped her hands, pulling them from his face with a mumbled, "Thanks." He gathered up their bowls and headed toward Karin.

"Here you go, Sasuke-kun." Sakura was frozen to the spot and only heard the clank of her bowl rattling as it settled in with the other two. "Now…how about some dessert," Karin purred. Movement came back to Sakura as her head whipped in their direction. Sasuke scooped up Karin's chopsticks and gracefully side-stepped her grabbing hands as he headed for the stream.

Karin's face matched her hair as she flushed in fury.

Sakura couldn't help the smile that widened as she watched Karin glare at her, fold her arms, and huff angrily.

When Sasuke strode back into camp, he and Sakura began to tidy up and get ready for night watch. Only, instead of pulling out her cumbersome medical textbook, Sakura turned to Sasuke who had just started pulling Kusanagi out of its sheath.

"So."

Sakura grinned when wide, surprised eyes met her invitation to conversation.

"Naruto tells me you want to train with the team?"

It was the first time she'd seen Sasuke smile.

* * *

><p>First (and always), I have to thank Unicorn Paige for her impeccable editing and priceless advice. You're almost better than shirtless Sasuke...almost.<p>

Second, I want to say thank you each and every one of you who reviewed Chapter Three. You smashed the Third Chapter Curse to pieces! And you made me glow with happiness!


	5. Chapter 5

The morning was gray as they surged through the dense canopy.

_How appropriate_, Karin thought as she glanced at the sun struggling to rise.

Her mood was as dull as the iron-tinted sky. Despite her best efforts, Sasuke was no closer to her than he was before they left Konoha. In fact, he seemed to be moving entirely too close to Sakura.

When she saw his beatific smile aimed at Sakura last night, she almost screamed in frustration.

Karin had spent months with Sasuke in Taka and every one of those days she attempted to entice him closer. How had Sakura managed to twist him around her little finger in just three days? She turned a burning glare at Sakura's back, hoping she'd just burst into flames under its power.

Her murderous thoughts were cut short when Sasuke's hand shot out in front of her. He turned dark red eyes toward the two women and warned, "We're close. Stay behind me. Single file."

Karin didn't need to be told twice as she jumped right behind Sasuke. Sakura took her place behind Karin on the next branch.

"There are traps everywhere," he cautioned. "Watch for wire trips and don't step anywhere I haven't. Anything could be a trigger."

Sasuke leaped to the next branch with Karin right on his heels.

Their pace was significantly slower as he wove through the treetops, avoiding traps, most of which were invisible to Karin's eyes. She marveled at Sasuke's skill with the Sharingan. How powerful their red-haired, red-eyed children would be!

Karin drifted away from reality as she fantasized about Sasuke. Her eyes sparkled as she imagined him scooping her up in his arms, saving her from some imminent danger as he gazed at her as if she were some cherished treasure. She would wrap her arms around his neck and breathlessly thank him for his bravery. Then he would give her a smoldering look and say something gently chastising, like, "You should be more careful," and kiss her senseless. It took all of her willpower not to squeal out loud at the thought.

Looking around, Karin realized that this fantasy could easily become reality. With all the traps Madara laid around his base, she could surely get herself caught in one of the more innocuous ones. Then Sasuke would come to her rescue, whisking her off her feet and, more importantly, away from that pink interloper.

She focused on the forest ahead of her. There were so many traps that Sasuke was skirting that she _couldn't_ see, but there were also traps that she _could_ see.

_There! It's a simple kunai launch trap! If I can just catch my foot on the tripwire, kunai will shoot out, Sasuke will grab me, deflect the kunai and then…hee, hee!_

After a quick spritz of perfume, Karin drifted slightly to the left and lined herself up with the trap.

* * *

><p>Sakura tried as hard as she could to focus only on tracking Sasuke through the golden leaves, to no avail. No matter how hard she tried to block out everything else, the redheaded nuisance would pop up right in front of her.<p>

_She certainly is single-minded_, Sakura thought.

Even Karin couldn't spoil her good mood, though. Seeing Sasuke smile at her last night made up for every single day she'd suffered without him. She couldn't help but grin just thinking about it…until she inhaled an unexpected spray of perfume from Karin and convulsed into a coughing fit.

Hacking until her eyes watered, Sakura's irritation was renewed. What kind of ninja used _perfume_? Sasuke turned, his brows knit and, giving one final cough, she waved to him that she was okay.

As she swiped at her eyes, Sakura changed her mind—Karin _could_ ruin her good mood. She took a swig from her canteen and thought seriously about why she despised this girl so much. Of course, the obvious reason was her interest in Sasuke—but that couldn't be all, right?

Traveling with Sasuke as a genin, Sakura had witnessed first-hand the amount of flirtatious women he dealt with every day. She remembered one trip through Grass Country in particular where women old enough to be her grandmother had blushed and fluttered their eyelashes at him.

At first, Sakura had been outraged—who did these women think they were, flirting with _her_ Sasuke-kun? She knew she certainly wasn't alone in thinking he was ethereally handsome. It was only when she began to look deeper than Sasuke's skin that her outrage began to erode.

Under Sasuke's coldly beautiful exterior, Sakura found a boy who was courageous, frightened, skillful, and caring—he could be subtly kind or cuttingly honest. Slowly, her feelings for him changed. She could never say she didn't love his striking good-looks, but he became more than just that to her. She cherished every one of his shifts in mood—no matter how dark or cold he seemed to others, Sakura saw the warmth inside of Sasuke.

Then, one day, she realized she loved him—as world-jarringly simple as that.

She shook her head and thought caustically that she should be focusing on the trail, not her unrequited love. She remembered her vow from yesterday morning—she would focus _only_ on regaining Sasuke's trust and friendship. She would not look further than that.

As Sakura lifted her head to track Sasuke's position again, she was surprised that she did not see Karin's bright red hair flaming in front of her. What was she doing? Sasuke was clearly veering to the right, and yet, Karin was drifting to the left. Looking further along the path, Sakura saw the silver shine of a tripwire. Karin was heading straight for a trap! What was she thinking?

Her highly-trained body moved of its own accord as Sakura shot out to help her. Karin's foot pulled on the shining string that launched several dozen kunai in her direction. Sakura whipped out her own kunai and dove for Karin. Grabbing her around her shoulders, Sakura dipped them both out of range of most of the blades while deflecting the rest. Karin's arms shot up and gripped her around the neck while Sakura steadied them as they plummeted to the forest floor by pulling her closer to her body and carrying her.

As Sakura's feet touched the ground, she heard Karin's breathy whisper in her ear, "Oh, thank you! You saved my life!" Instantly, the whole scenario clicked into place for her—Karin _intended_ to get caught in this trap and pictured Sasuke as her hero.

The reason Sakura despised Karin so much suddenly became crystal clear. To her, Sasuke was a beautiful dream, nothing more than a fantasy man. Karin knew nothing about who Sasuke really was. If she did, she certainly would know that the pain he carried was less like a fantasy and more like a nightmare.

Sakura snorted as she unceremoniously dropped Karin. "You should be more careful."

* * *

><p>Sasuke landed softly near the two women, unsure of what had happened. Sakura jammed the kunai back in her holster and stalked off, fists clenching. Karin sat stunned on the ground looking from Sakura's back to Sasuke in disbelief. Seeing that Karin was unharmed, he turned to catch up with Sakura. He craned his neck back and commanded, "Keep up."<p>

Sasuke scanned the woods as a cold feeling crept into his stomach.

"Sakura, wait."

He didn't want her too far away from him. They were very close. Memories of Madara's ominous presence raised the hair on the back of his neck. "This way," he said, nodding his head to the right.

As expected, the forest was soon interrupted by a towering stone wall. Sasuke scanned the surface with his Sharingan as he ran his hands along the wall, searching for the opening.

A small pulse of chakra embedded in the stone shone like a ruby to his color-detecting eyes.

"This is it," he said quietly. Sakura pulled a kunai from her pouch and waited, her eyes hard, but full of a confidence Sasuke wished he felt. His hands slid through seals he wanted to forget as a portion of the wall disappeared and an endless, black corridor stretched in front of them. He motioned them inside with a flick of his head and produced a small fireball which hovered over his palm to light the way.

A cold wave of anticipation washed over him as his heart beat frantically. His breathing quickened—he knew he should calm down, but found it impossible. The feeling of expectation was too overwhelming. He bolted past his teammates and took long, swift strides down the dark, winding hallways. Eagerness quickened his pace to just short of a run.

Heedless of Sakura's call, Sasuke made a quick turn and his right foot landed on…_nothing_.

Panic shot through him before stopping to quiver in his gut. It couldn't end this way—he had something he needed to accomplish! He tried to focus chakra to nail his left foot to the floor's end, but he continued to tilt forward. Sasuke's arms windmilled as he tried to fight back against the pull of the bottomless black that gaped below. _Why now? I was so close_, he thought before he began to fall.

Sasuke's body folded forward, jackknifed, when something strong grabbed him by the belt and yanked him back.

"What do you think you're doing!" Sakura hissed, her angry face just inches away from his.

Sasuke tried to appear calm as he pulled away from her and straightened his shirt. He knew his head was clouded, but he couldn't stop his need to hurry.

"You're the captain of this team and you're leading us straight into traps, Sasuke!" Sakura scolded as she scrutinized him. Under the power of her dark green gaze, he felt uncomfortably exposed. "You'll never get the answers you're looking for if you're dead."

He was shocked into silence—how did she see through him? How did she see so easily what he was after? Was he that transparent?

"Shut up! You don't know _anything_ about Sasuke-kun!" yelled Karin as she jumped in between them, her arms spread as if to shield him.

Sakura turned her gaze to Karin and Sasuke saw her wince as her face flushed pink. Anger? Embarrassment? Sasuke couldn't read her guarded expression. It frustrated him to know that he was an open book to her and he couldn't read her at all.

Sakura turned from her, arms folded as she mumbled, "Like _you_ do."

He saw the heat rise in Karin and he recognized her readying for a fight—he'd seen the signs too many times before when they traveled as Taka. She seemed to have two modes—flirting and fighting. With this in mind, Sasuke tried to head off what was sure to be a loud, irritating rant by asking her a question.

"Karin, can you sense anything?"

Her mood flipped immediately as she turned a blinding smile to Sasuke. "I'll try," she said, bringing her hands together.

As she was concentrating, Sasuke moved closer to Sakura. He knew what she'd said was right—he wasn't paying enough attention to their welfare. He had a goal and he needed it accomplished, but it shouldn't come at the cost of his teammates' well being. Again, he questioned his ability to captain this team.

Sakura's burning gaze was turned on him in expectation. He'd just begun to work for her forgiveness—he wouldn't backtrack now. He wanted to say something, but he felt so unsure of himself. Her eyes softened and her mouth turned up at the corners. Encouragement bloomed inside of him, so he began, "Sakura, I…"

"It's him!" gasped Karin, her eyes opening wide.

All three of them froze and anything Sasuke thought to say was cast aside as he grabbed Karin roughly by the arm.

"Where? Where is he, Karin? Show me!"

"N-northeast about fifty yards and down another ten," she stammered as he began to steer her. "Sasuke-kun? You—you're hurting me…"

* * *

><p>"Which way now, Karin?" Sasuke's Sharingan darted around the endless halls—there was a manic, feral look on his face. He'd been pushing Karin along for at least ten minutes now.<p>

"Left," Karin managed to squeak out as Sasuke shoved her down yet another hallway. "He–he's close now."

At that Sasuke almost broke into a run as he dragged Karin along. Sakura was jogging right behind them—she almost felt bad for the girl.

"Stop! He's behind that door."

She thought he was going to tear the door off the hinges as he flung Karin away from him. As she pushed through the door immediately behind him, her medic's ears tuned in to raspy, shallow breathing.

Sasuke thrust the fireball dancing on his hand around the room, searching. Sakura's eyes could barely adjust to the rapidly changing pools of dark and light he was creating until she saw the cot pushed into a corner of the room and an obviously injured man laying on it.

The firelight twisted Sasuke's scowl into a mask of rage as his eyes lit on the room's sole occupant. Sakura felt a familiar fear run down her spine as his chakra began to swirl ominously.

"Itachi."

Wet, shuddering gasps forced Sakura to tear her gaze away from her teammate's twisted face. She prodded him aside and strode to Itachi's bedside.

"Flushed and sweaty," she murmured, "breathing shallow and rapid." She lifted each of his eyelids in turn. "His pupils are dilated. Untreated wounds…hmmm." Sakura recognized the signs of a systemic infection. Who knew how long Itachi had been here with little or no medical attention?

Sasuke seemed to have gotten over his initial shock as he came up behind Sakura and tried to nudge her away from his brother by inserting his body between them.

"Sasuke? What are you doing?" Sakura asked, surprised and disturbed that her examination was interrupted.

"Get out of the way, Sakura. My brother needs to answer for what he's done."

"Answer? What kind of answers do you think you'll be getting out of him now? _Look at him_," she hissed, pointing at his cataleptic brother. "He's comatose and, if I'm right in my diagnosis, he may never regain consciousness if he doesn't get treatment quickly."

"What do you mean _never regain consciousness_?" His eyes, initially wide with shock, narrowed as fury reigned on his face. "He _will_ wake up and he _will_ answer my questions. Now, get out of my way, Sakura."

She was more than a little surprised at his rapid mood change, but she knew the powerful emotions Itachi could raise in Sasuke. Her heart ached for him, but her need to heal had to override everything else. She was a shinobi on a mission—this was no place for her heart.

"Sasuke, I don't know how to make this more clear to you. If you don't get away from my patient, I will remove you." She drew herself up to her full height and spread her arms wide in front of a prone Itachi.

Sasuke's overwhelming anger became evident as his Sharingan activated.

Knowing that challenging him would only escalate this situation, Sakura tried a more conciliatory approach.

"Itachi doesn't even know you're here. And we have a mission to complete. Right now, you can help by giving me some light to work by and finding some clean water." She reached out to brush her fingertips across his clenched fist as she added softly, "Please, Sasuke-kun."

At her touch, Sasuke blinked, his eyes returning to their usual black—the defeat reflected in that black was heartbreaking. He unclenched his hands, lit an old oil lamp, and slowly walked out of the room. Karin rushed to follow him. Sakura's stomach dropped to see his beaten-down slouch, but it was her duty to put her patient's safety first.

_I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun_, thought Sakura as her hands began to glow green, _but I promise I will save Itachi…for you._

* * *

><p>Sasuke slipped his hands into his pockets as he trudged forward, only half-heartedly looking for a source of water.<p>

"How dare she! Sasuke-kun, _I_ know how important it is that you speak to Itachi. Remember, _I_ was the one who found him," boasted Karin as she gripped his bicep.

Sasuke barely registered her voice or her touch. It felt like the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. When the Hokage told him that there was a chance Itachi was still alive, that his chakra had been detected in one of Madara's bases, Sasuke's heart soared and then froze. His brother had been a source of agonizing conflict in Sasuke for years. Now, after all that hope and anxiety…

What had he been expecting when he found Itachi still alive? He supposed it was one of two scenarios, both equally satisfying. Either his brother would soothe him with a story of how it was Madara alone who had murdered their clan and he is, and always was, the big brother Sasuke remembered from his happier childhood days…or Itachi would cackle with glee about how he relished murdering everyone Sasuke held dear. Then he would have the satisfaction of slowly squeezing the life out of Itachi. His hands curled into fists in his pockets as he thought about how his search for answers would be delayed. Whose fault was this?

"…Sakura. She's always getting in the way, Sasuke-kun. I told that Hokage she wasn't necessary. There isn't anything she can do that you or I couldn't do together." Karin turned a smug smile to Sasuke as she squeezed his arm. "We'd be better off if she'd stayed home. Really, I could've healed your brother already and you could be getting your answers right now, Sasuke-kun. Sakura is just trying to make herself seem more important by taking all of this time to heal Itachi. And who knows if she's even healing him? What if she's in there killing him!" Karin wrenched Sasuke's arm and swung him around to face her. "Maybe that's why the Hokage sent her along! Maybe the Council doesn't want him coming back to Konoha at all and Sakura was sent to eliminate him!"

For a fleeting second, Sasuke pondered this—after all, as captain of this mission, it was incumbent on him to consider all the possibilities. Just as quickly as the thought came, it went.

Sasuke trusted Sakura. He'd seen a glimmer of this same trust still reflected in her eyes. When she'd touched his hand and added the affectionate suffix to his name, Sasuke felt transported—his rage evaporated instantly. He recalled a simpler time when his unfettered fury was directed only at those who hurt his precious people—at the Sound ninja who dared lay a hand on Sakura. Her touch and tears brought his humanity rushing back—put the monster back in its cage. He knew she would never rob him of the one chance he had for closure, for peace of mind.

No matter what happened, if he could only speak with Itachi, he knew he would finally be able to close the book on an old chapter of his life.

_And start a new one_, Sasuke thought wistfully.

He pushed a door open at the end of a hallway and walked into a cobwebbed kitchen.

"Karin, find something to put water in. I'll see if I can get the pump working."

He grabbed the handle and pumped until cold water spilled into the sink. Karin clattered around in the cabinets while he kept pumping. Digging under the sink, he found a bucket, filled it to the rim, and made his way down the hall.

Karin quickly raced to catch up. "You know, Sasuke-kun, Sakura was trained by Tsunade. Without that training, Sakura would be nobody—barely a shinobi," she continued waspishly as they came closer to Itachi's room. "If it came down to it, where do you think Sakura's loyalties would _really_ lie?"

Sasuke was about to scoff at Karin's attempt to diminish Sakura as he pushed the door open…and saw Itachi slump back to his futon as Sakura stood over him with a syringe in her hand.

* * *

><p>Systemic shock was Sakura's first thought. Although she could tell most of Itachi's wounds had not been treated at all, Sakura knew there had to be some kind of underlying condition that would've led to this level of sepsis. She didn't have time to find out if his immune system was previously compromised—she needed to treat this infection before his organs began shutting down.<p>

A vision of her teammate's slumping departure appeared in her mind as Sakura scanned Itachi with renewed determination. She _would_ heal him…for Sasuke.

"Well, at least he's still got color in his skin," Sakura mumbled to herself. She knew that a bluish hue would indicate that the infection had progressed so far as to reduce the flow of blood in his body. "You've got a fighting chance, Itachi. Don't give up. Sasuke-kun's counting on you."

Suddenly, Itachi's eyes flew open as he grabbed one of her hands off his chest. His grip was surprisingly strong. "Who are you?" His voice was deep, threatening, and hoarse with disuse.

Fear spiked through Sakura. Although he was certainly weakened, Itachi was a shinobi like no other and was not to be underestimated. The fact that he had even regained consciousness was a feat in itself—his grip on her hand was quickly becoming vise-like.

"I—I am Haruno Sakura, medic of the Hidden Leaf village." She rallied her courage. "I am attempting to heal your injuries, Uchiha-san. You have many infected wounds. Your body has been overwhelmed trying to heal itself. You are weak and in shock and if—"

"Haruno Sakura…I know you. You were on my brother's genin team."

"Yes, Sasuke and I are part of Team Seven," Sakura said, unsure if Itachi was asking her or telling her, and more than a little insecure that Uchiha Itachi knew who she was.

"_Are?_ What do you mean, _are_, Haruno-san? Where is my brother now?"

Itachi's grip on her hand became crushingly tight at the mention of Sasuke's name. "He's here…in this building. We are currently on a mission. Could you release my hand, Uchiha-san, so I can continue healing?"

"Healing? I don't think so. I have no intention of living past today and, if you have any loyalty to Konoha, you will end my life immediately."

Sakura was stunned. "What are you talking about? We were sent by the Leaf to retrieve you!" Remembering what he'd sacrificed for the sake of her village, she continued a little more gently, "Itachi-san, the Hokage knows about your mission—the position you were put in. Sasuke knows, too. He just wants to talk—"

Itachi grimaced in pain and his eyes hardened. "I will never speak of my mission to anyone. I will never compromise the safety of the village—not even for my little brother."

Sensing a possible way to reach him, Sakura countered with, "That wasn't always the case, was it, Itachi-san?"

At that, he reared up from the futon, Sharingan activated. "I would rather die than betray Konoha!"

Sakura was filled with terror as she stared helplessly into Itachi's revolving Sharingan. The black tomoes slid across bloody red to form the three curved points of his Mangekyou.

She fought desperately against his powerful genjutsu, but it pulled at her consciousness. Her last thought, before she was consumed by the darkness of Itachi's _Tsukuyomi_, was why she never felt this fear when she looked into Sasuke's Sharingan—surely, it was just as deadly. She didn't have long to contemplate this as she heard Itachi's voice echo in her head, much smoother than the rasp he had outside this monochromatic vision.

"Haruno-san."

Sakura turned toward the direction of the echoing voice and saw Itachi, powerful and intimidating, as he gripped Sasuke's pale, limp body by the throat.

"Save Sasuke. Save Konoha. Kill me."

Itachi had the point of Kusanagi pressed up against Sasuke's chest. Sakura scrambled to her feet and frantically began to run toward them—but every step she took moved her further away.

Fear was crushing her lungs as she ran, panting, "No! I'm a medic-nin! I'm here to _save_ you!" Tears leaked from her eyes as she yelled, "I promised Sasuke-kun!"

"Protect your teammate, Haruno-san. Kill me."

She stumbled as Itachi pierced Sasuke's bare chest—dark blood slowly oozed from the wound. Seeing the blade slide so easily into his body, Sakura felt the overwhelming need to crush his attacker. Although she knew it was what Itachi wanted, she could not suppress her primal desire to protect Sasuke.

Against her better judgment, she felt chakra scalpels spring from her fingertips. Armed with deadly chakra, she found she was suddenly able to move toward her dying teammate. Pulling back to plunge her weapons deep into Itachi's heart with all her might, Sakura froze.

"I promised Sasuke-kun!" Sakura fought to hold back her hand, but the torture of seeing the life drain from Sasuke's body was too much.

"You are prolonging Sasuke's pain by keeping me alive. You are putting your village in jeopardy by healing me," Itachi admonished her, compelling her to bring her scalpels closer to his heart by pushing Kusanagi in further. A trickle of black blood gurgled from Sasuke's mouth.

"NO!" she screamed, her hand creeping closer to his heart, despite her agonizing effort to restrain it. "Sasuke _needs_ to know. He needs to hear it from you. He would never forgive me if I killed you!"

Memories of Sasuke's smirking face surfaced in her mind—her confidence soaring when he subtly complimented her genjutsu awareness—his fingers twined with hers as he reached out to her in his moment of pain—the tickle of his warm _thank you _on the back of her neck—hope rising in her chest as he softly called her name at Orochimaru's lair—the security of seeing the bold uchiwa standing between her and all enemies. A powerful strength rose in Sakura. She would _not_ submit to Itachi.

"_Release!"_

She gasped like she'd finally surfaced after nearly drowning and color flooded back into the real world around her—but she wasn't out of danger yet. Itachi still held her hand in a crushing grip, the bones in her fingers snapping as his red eyes swirled threateningly. Acting purely on instinct, Sakura grabbed a syringe from her pouch and jabbed it into Itachi's thigh.

Anger and menace contorted Itachi's face as he leaned in, nose to nose with Sakura. She began to feel lightheaded with terror—she knew she was hyperventilating, but she couldn't stop. She was starting to doubt the contents of her syringe before Itachi's grip went slack—the red draining from his eyes as they slid closed.

The syringe tumbled from her trembling hand to the floor as Sakura's knees finally gave out. Never in her life had she been so absolutely terrified. Just as she was about to hit the floor, she heard Sasuke call her name. Relief flooded through her—Sasuke was here.

He was safe.

* * *

><p>Years of repetition prompted Sasuke to leap to Sakura's aid as he caught her before she hit the ground. How many times before had he held her like this? He didn't know, but he was sure this was the first time he'd caught her reluctantly. Although his body sprang to help, his brain cursed her as he assumed Karin was right and Sakura had just caused his brother's death.<p>

He had been so sure of her—of what he'd seen in her eyes. Had she been fooling him this whole time? Was she really working for the Council? Had that glimmer of forgiveness he'd seen been…_fake_? He pulled his hands away from her like she was on fire. He'd never felt such anger toward Sakura. What had she done? Sasuke turned his attention to his brother, who was lying still as stone on the futon.

Karin walked over and dumped the entire bucket of cold water on Sakura as she spluttered back to consciousness.

"Thanks a lot," Sakura said to Karin with a glare.

"That's what teammates are for, right?" she said with a sickly sweet smile.

Sasuke desperately felt his brother's neck for a pulse. When his shaky fingertips met a gentle thumping beneath Itachi's skin, he exhaled his relief.

Now, he was confused. He whirled around to face a dripping Sakura. "What the hell happened here?"

She looked at the floor and answered, "He regained consciousness, Sasuke. He was delusional. After he broke a few of my fingers, I had to sedate him."

_Just sedated…_ Muscles relaxed at the knowledge that his brother was merely sleeping, but an icy cold in his gut made Sasuke realize Sakura was not being entirely truthful with him. What was she hiding from him? He glanced at her swollen, misshapen hand. "Broken fingers wouldn't cause you to pass out, Sakura. What else happened?"

"Nothing, Sasuke. Really. Like I said, he was…just a bit confused. I was afraid he would hurt himself, so I sedated him. Simple as that."

Not once during their conversation had she looked him in the eye. He could see her whole body trembling—from cold or fear? Something here was not right.

"Your brother has a system-wide infection. If we don't get him back to Konoha soon, his organs will begin to shut down. I've stabilized him as much as I can, but without the proper course of antibiotics, I can't do anything to improve his condition." Sakura had begun to towel off with a blanket. "Sasuke, I need you to assemble the stretcher while I heal my hand and get Itachi ready to travel."

Sakura had hidden behind her medic mask. Whatever transpired in this room, Sasuke wouldn't get out of her now. Realizing the best course of action was to take care of Itachi first, he set to the task of putting the cocoon-like transport together—it would enable them to tree-hop back to Konoha while keeping Itachi safely immobilized.

They gently slid Itachi into the stretcher and gathered up their packs. While Sakura and Karin were assembling their gear, Sasuke surreptitiously passed his hand over Itachi's pulse again to reassure himself. He was so close to getting all the information he'd ever wanted—he wasn't about to let _anyone_ come between him and the peace he longed for.

Soon, they were flying through the treetops. Sasuke lead the way, one end of the pole Itachi's cocoon hung from was braced against his shoulder. He glanced back at Sakura as she supported the other end of the pole.

After all that had passed between them on this journey, he felt they'd reached an understanding—they'd started to become friends again. After an endless period of crushing guilt, he'd finally lifted that weight. But now, when he looked at her, he saw nothing in her eyes—it was a sight he'd never seen before and he didn't like it. Sakura had never been this closed off to him, he thought, burning with frustration.

Stars began to sprinkle the navy blue sky before they stopped and quickly ate. Sakura stressed, yet again, that they get Itachi back home with all haste—she handed out soldier pills and advised that they travel through the night. Sasuke felt a cold tingle of panic as he felt nervously for Itachi's pulse yet again.

"But I just sat down," whined Karin, kicking her heels like a spoiled toddler against a huge log. "I don't think I can make it all the way back to Konoha without a break. I'm exhausted! I mean, it took _so_ much out of me to find your brother for you, Sasuke-kun." Karin turned big, sad eyes toward Sasuke as she pouted.

Sasuke sighed. He knew what Karin was angling for, and he also knew that fighting her would take precious time away from Itachi's recovery. He slid his pack to his chest, raised the wooden pole to his shoulder and motioned for Karin to get on his back.

Her eyes lit up as she squealed out, "Sasuke-kun! You're my hero!" and leaped onto his back. He dipped with the additional weight and turned to nod at Sakura as he took to the trees. Sasuke didn't see Karin also turn to Sakura with a triumphant look as she stuck her tongue out childishly. He only knew that soon after, he was pulling Karin's arm from around his throat as she gripped him so hard, his vision began to cloud.

As Karin burrowed her face into his neck, he began to question his judgment. He'd questioned his ability to lead this squad so many times during this mission—he'd made so many bad decisions. Sasuke just hoped that trusting Sakura wasn't another mistake.

* * *

><p>This chapter is dedicated to Rainbow the Unicorn...you know who you are! UNICORNS RULE!<p>

Speaking of ruling unicorns, this chapter would not even be suitable for your eyes without the tireless work of my benevolent Overlord Paige. One day, Paige, you'll rule over a kingdom that has no ladders! We will all be free!

You all make me blush with awe and gratitude at your words of encouragement. Thanks you so much for taking the time to tell me what you think of Look Underneath. It means the world to me!


	6. Chapter 6

He wanted five minutes with Itachi.

_Thunk._

He just needed some answers. Was that too much to ask?

_Thunk._

It'd been three days since they brought his brother back to Konoha. They made the journey in two days, running day and night. During those two days, between Karin hanging on him and Itachi's medical needs, Sasuke didn't get a second alone with Sakura.

He flicked another kunai into the dented pine, chipping away another piece of bark. Why? Why? _Why? _The question filled his head until he wanted to yell—only answers would give him peace. Why did Itachi kill everyone he loved? Why did he want Sasuke to kill him? Why had Sakura suddenly become so closed off?

_Thunk. Thunkthunkthunk._

_Just when things were starting to turn around,_ Sasuke thought as he rained down a shower of shuriken on the tree.

When Tsunade told him there was a chance that Itachi might still be alive, that his chakra was detected in Madara's old base, Sasuke felt a tiny seed of hope inside of him.

Then the weight of guilt lifted off his shoulders when warmth replaced fear in Sakura's eyes. The seed of hope bloomed in that warmth.

The sensation was foreign, but so welcome—Sasuke hadn't had hope in a very long time.

But then it wilted.

_Thunk._

With every blade he directed to the very center of the target, he saw flashes of Itachi lying on a dirty mattress, weak and unresponsive.

_Thunk._

Sakura's smiling face telling him not to worry.

_Thunk._

His teammate and his brother falling unconscious.

_Thunkthunk._

Training Ground Three was littered with weapons. Despite the frosty chill in the air, Sasuke's whole body was slick. He pulled off his shirt and used it to mop up the sweat that was pouring into his eyes, obscuring his vision.

_One more_, he thought as he lifted his arm and took aim at the distant tree. His arm was so heavy with fatigue, he could barely pick it up. Still, he cocked it back at the elbow and let the kunai fly. He listened for the satisfying sound of his weapon reaching its mark…but it never came. He blinked as he thought he saw a flash of orange where his kunai ought to have been.

"Lose something?" said Naruto, suddenly beside him, holding the kunai out to Sasuke with a blinding smile.

"What do _you_ want, moron?" Sasuke slurred with exhaustion. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand as Naruto chuckled. Although he was irritated to see the blond nuisance, Sasuke realized he could finally put him to good use. "Spar with me," he panted as he gazed at his teammate darkly through the wet spikes of his hair.

Naruto looked his friend over and shook his head. "Much as I enjoy seeing you suffer, Sasuke, Sakura-chan would kill me if I put you in the hospital again."

This banter had been repeated so often, Sasuke almost felt like he was following a script. He was sure Naruto was waiting to hear his line which should've been an arrogant, "Like you could."

Sasuke, however, hung his head and mumbled instead, "Like she cares."

Shock was the first thing that registered on Naruto's face. Sasuke didn't want to own up to the tiny voice in his head that told him this was a cry for help, that he wanted Naruto to know something wasn't right, that he might actually _want_ Naruto's help.

His teammate's eyes narrowed as he flipped the kunai in his hand and pointed it at Sasuke's chest. "I don't know who you are, but you aren't fooling me!"

Sasuke sighed. Leave it to Naruto to suspect a bunshin trick.

"Shut up, _idiot_," sneered Sasuke as he pulled his shirt on. Had he really thought this knucklehead could help him? He began to collect his scattered shuriken and kunai.

"Hang on! You're not going anywhere until I'm sure you're who I think you are. Hmm…" Naruto rubbed his chin in thought. "Okay. Answer this secret question that only the _real_ Sasuke would know, and I'll believe it's you."

Naruto turned a steely-eyed glare on him. "What is my favorite kind of ramen?"

Sasuke stopped, turned, and scoffed. "Everyone in the _entire village_ knows you eat miso ramen, you moron. What kind of a secret question is that?"

A huge smile split Naruto's face. "Okay. I believe it's you, you arrogant jerk." His expression turned serious as he said softly, "But what the heck is up with you and Sakura-chan? What happened on your mission, Sasuke?"

Moments like these always made him wonder whether Naruto had some kind of genjutsu skill that Sasuke was unaware of. Soul-baring conversations were not something he indulged in. The fact that Naruto could disarm him so completely and compel him to sit and talk with nothing more than a look made him think he should activate his Sharingan to check his chakra for disruptions. Then he remembered who he was talking to.

"Idiot."

Feet kicking up clouds of dust with exhausted shuffling, Sasuke began to exit the training grounds.

"Sasuke, if you think I'm going to let you just walk away, you're crazy." Naruto leaped in front of him and poked him in the chest. "You still want to spar? Because I can talk to you plenty if you're stuck in a hospital bed."

Recognizing his own fatigue and knowing Naruto's persistence, Sasuke understood that avoiding him would be futile. He scowled, crossed his arms and slid to the ground, his back supported against a thick trunk. His weariness was a minor annoyance compared to the overwhelming burden on his mind—which made Sasuke realize that a small part of him was thankful for Naruto's _never give up_ attitude.

With the sweat drying on his skin, Sasuke finally felt the bite of the cold, autumn air though his wet clothes. So, he lit a small fire and began to tell Naruto everything that transpired at Madara's base. He ended the story with Sakura injecting Itachi with something unknown and her suspicious behavior afterward.

"And?" Naruto's face was scrunched up in confusion.

"What do you mean _and_?" Sasuke said incredulously.

"Sasuke. This is Sakura-chan. You're not thinking she'd hurt Itachi, are you?"

Sasuke turned his head away. "How do I know? She could've had other instructions from her mentor…or the Council. Maybe her mission was completely different than the mission I was on." He turned to face Naruto. "Maybe she wasn't there to _retrieve_ Itachi at all," he accused, his eyes disappearing into black shadows in the glow of the firelight.

Naruto looked appalled. "You don't really believe Sakura-chan—"

"What the hell do I know about her anymore, Naruto?" he heatedly interrupted. Sasuke's anger cooled to disappointment as he confided, "She's not the same as when I left."

"Sasuke…you know that's not true."

Pushing down the uneasy discontent in his stomach, Sasuke allowed his anger to flare again. "There are a lot of people in this village who think Itachi coming back to Konoha is a bad idea. Sakura is the Hokage's apprentice. Maybe her loyalty to Tsunade and the village higher-ups…maybe it's stronger than her ties to Team Seven."

"You mean stronger than her ties to _you_."

Naruto's implication was like a slap in the face. It was _guilt_ that made him protect Sakura. It was _guilt_ that made him desperate for her forgiveness. Nothing more than guilt…

As if he could read Sasuke's thoughts, Naruto let out a dubious snort. "As far as Sakura-chan not being the same as when you left, I guess that's mostly true. A lot of things have changed. Look at me!" He thumped his chest and smiled broadly. "The things that make her _our_ Sakura-chan, though—those things haven't changed at all."

Sasuke thought that the Sakura he'd once known would do whatever she could to make him happy. She would know that seeing Itachi meant more to him than anything else and she would bend over backwards to make sure he got exactly what he wanted.

A scowl twisted Sasuke's face. Back in the forest, he thought he'd seen the old Sakura—her open eyes, her unmasked emotions—but he must've been mistaken. It seemed that girl died on a bridge in the Land of Iron.

The Sakura he knew now cared more about her patient than his happiness. This new Sakura made sure her mission was completed and didn't worry about his contentment.

"Sasuke, if you saw Sakura-chan do something you don't understand, the only way you'll know why is if you _ask her_. You know Team Seven holds a special place in her heart." He smirked as he mumbled loud enough for Sasuke to hear, "Although, some of us are more special than others."

Naruto stood up and brushed the dust off his pants. "Did you know that Sakura-chan confessed to me?"

Sasuke couldn't hide his shock—the sinking feeling in his stomach was unexpected.

"Yup. Said she loved me right before she went to meet you after the Kage Summit—and I believe she _does_ love me." Naruto crouched next to Sasuke, placed a hand on his shoulder, and looked seriously in his eyes. "But as much as I want her to, she doesn't love me like she loves you." His brows creased. "Don't ever forget that, Sasuke."

Sasuke stared numbly into the fire as Naruto started to walk toward the lights of the village. "Anyway, you know what to do." He stopped and said with a smile, "I will give you one piece of advice, though—bring her something to eat."

* * *

><p><em>Hours!<em> she thought, miserably. _I've been wandering the entire village for hours and no sign of Sasuke-kun anywhere! _

Karin plopped down on the nearest bench, folding her arms and pouting. Since they'd returned from their mission, she'd been looking for Sasuke with no luck at all.

In a village of shinobi with such powerful chakra, her _Kagura Shingan_ was useless. She'd tried to pick out Sasuke's distinct chakra, but found herself overwhelmed by the intensity and variety of energies, leaving her to search the old fashioned way—on foot.

She'd searched from midday and Karin was sure it had to be close to midnight. Knowing she wouldn't catch Sasuke by sitting around, she pushed herself off the bench with a grunt and resumed her trek around Konoha.

After they returned from Madara's base, she just knew that Sasuke wouldn't be able to deny his feelings for her much longer. He was clearly over Sakura—she could see the anger and betrayal in his eyes every time he looked at her on their way back to the Leaf.

_Stupid girl_, Karin thought. _Doesn't that big forehead hide any brains at all?_ _Trying to play hard-to-get with a guy like Sasuke will get you nowhere. He needs to be hit over the head. _

It was painfully obvious to Karin that Sakura didn't know a _thing_ about men.

_Guess what they say about stupid blondes is true for pinks as well_. She giggled out loud at her own joke. _They're nothing like us redheads—brilliantly crafty, fiercely determined and irresistibly sexy._ She flicked a lock of hair from her shoulder and congratulated herself on her lucky, redheaded DNA.

Lost in her reverie, Karin was jarred as she bumped hard into a fellow pedestrian.

"Hey, you stupid jerk! What are you, blind?" she boomed as she crawled around looking for her glasses. "What kind of inconsiderate imbecile knocks into someone and doesn't even—oh! It's you, Sasuke-kun!" she squealed as she reseated her glasses. "I've been looking all over Konoha for you!"

Sasuke looked down at Karin with a frown as she wound her arm through his. "What do you want, Karin?"

"Well, I just thought, now that our mission is complete, you might want to come to the training grounds with me and…_train_," she purred as she walked two-fingers up his arm, to his neck, and into his hair.

"Karin?" he asked as he pulled her hand out of his hair. "Did you say that you've been all over the village?"

She was joyful—Sasuke was _finally _recognizing her efforts. "Yes, of course, Sasuke-kun. You know I'd go to the ends of the earth for you!" She willed her cheeks to flush and batted her eyelashes for good measure.

"You didn't see Sakura anywhere, did you? Karin…you're cutting off the circulation in my arm. Karin…let…go!"

She forced down the blood that rushed to her head and fought the urge to rip Sasuke's arm off and beat him with it.

"Oh, ha-ha!" Karin released her grip and smoothed out his shirt. "S-sorry, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke resumed walking and scanning the crowds. Karin tried to keep up, having to take two steps for every one of his long strides.

"Konoha's a pretty busy place," she said. "Even at this time of night, there's people everywhere," she said, hoping to entice him into conversation. Sakura had managed to get him to talk in three days—Karin would not be out-done.

"Have you tried looking in the bars, Sasuke-kun? I'm sure Sakura is probably drinking herself into a stupor by now." Sasuke glanced sideways at her, his eyes narrowed. "Or maybe she's in one of these gambling halls. She is Tsunade's apprentice, after all. Like mentor, like student."

Karin pressed herself against Sasuke and whispered in his ear, "I've heard people in the village talking about her, you know. They say she'll exceed Tsunade's skill soon. I'm sure they mean her gambling skill. I guess she's probably around here somewhere, throwing away all the money we just made on that wonderfully profitable A-rank mission."

Sasuke whipped his head around to pin Karin with a burning glare.

_Oops! Forgot about his brother_, she thought.

"Not that _I_ cared to make any money off that mission, Sasuke-kun. You know, I've _always_ been the one helping you find your brother."

He resumed his swift pace and she began to trot. "Speaking of your brother, is he still locked up in the hospital? Have you seen him yet?"

Sasuke slowed as his eyes became fixed to the ground. "No, I haven't."

Karin's hand went to her open mouth in mock-astonishment. "I just can't believe she hasn't let you in. You're his brother! Who else has more of a right to talk to him?"

Seeing that her words were affecting him, she continued, "Supposedly, she's concerned for his life, but, _really_…a few minutes of conversation isn't going to kill him, right? Knowing her, she's probably at the hospital right now, standing guard over your brother, making sure you don't get near him. Sure, she _says_ she's saving his life, but what do you _really_ know about Sakura, Sasuke-kun?"

His pace slowed to no more than a shuffling saunter, his gaze now pointed directly at his feet as he seemed to absorb what Karin was saying.

"I have to wonder what they were thinking at the Academy when they put your team together. You were obviously the most talented, Sasuke-kun. It really is a crime that you had to be weighed down by such an annoying girl."

"_Annoying_," Sasuke murmured with a smirk.

"My heart just breaks for you, Sasuke-kun. It's no wonder you left. Did she really think that becoming the Hokage's apprentice would change her?" Karin snorted her disapproval. "I'm sure she's exactly the same useless girl you left behind."

Sasuke stopped dead, mumbled something about how everything had _changed_, and gazed out at the panorama of the Leaf village. Karin had no idea what he was staring at—she was just so happy to wind her arms around his.

Without warning, Sasuke moved quickly toward a less garishly lit section of the village. Karin jogged at his heels before he flipped up a curtain and slid into a stool at Ichiraku's Ramen Bar.

"Two pork ramen."

_What? Did he just order dinner for two?_ Karin mentally squealed. Sasuke was taking her out to dinner! This was going to be their first official date!

"Make that to go," he added.

_To go? Are we leaving already?_ Karin wondered. A blush engulfed her whole body. _Oh, that impatient boy! Eating here would take too much time. He can't wait to get me home!_

Anticipating a night spent ravishing Sasuke, Karin pulled out a spray bottle of perfume and began to douse herself.

Sasuke dropped some ryō on the counter and collected his bag.

"So, Sasuke-kun?" she said, taking quick steps to keep up with him. "Where are we going now?"

He stopped abruptly and looked at Karin. "_We?_ I don't know where you're going, Karin, but I'm going to find an old friend."

Karin gaped like a fish as he disappeared across the village rooftops and into the dark sky.

* * *

><p>So...once again, I owe every good thing in this to the limitless talents of Unicorn Paige. Freedom looks good on you, Paige!<p>

Thank you all so, so much for your reviews. They make me laugh, smile, and blush. Please keep writing to me!


	7. Chapter 7

Sakura squinted at Kakashi fidgeting in a hard, plastic chair as he read his bright orange book. She knew how much he hated the hospital, but figured all the time he spent here getting patched up after missions should've made him feel more at home. He looked like he was itching to jump out a window—he probably would've done just that if there were any windows.

The Restricted Ward was an entire floor of the hospital. The only way in or out was through the elevator and single staircase at the end of the hall. Both of which were patrolled downstairs by stoic ANBU guards—there was no one on the Restricted Ward they didn't know about.

Blindingly bright lights flooded the huge, glass-enclosed room that housed Uchiha Itachi—Sakura wondered if they were meant to compensate for the ward's lack of windows. Upon admission to the hospital, the elder Uchiha brother was moved immediately to the Restricted Ward as it was determined to be _too dangerous_ to treat him on a regular floor. She continued her hourly examination, pondering whether Itachi's isolation was meant to protect _him_ or _Konoha_.

The glow of Sakura's healing hands died down. She nodded, pleased with Itachi's progress. While making notes on his chart, she yawned against the back of her hand—and it seemed Kakashi noticed.

"Come on, Sakura," said her sensei as he snapped his book shut and ushered her out the door. "I'll buy you a coffee."

Sakura snorted. "Buy me? You _do_ know we're the only conscious people on this whole floor, right?"

Kakashi chuckled as they stepped into the dim corridor. The cool quiet of the hall felt strangely alien after hours spent in the beeping glare of Itachi's room. A few steps later, he stopped and leaned against the wall.

"So…how's he doing?"

"Itachi's healing fine. I'm keeping him under heavy sedation on Tsunade's orders, but I've isolated the bacteria in his system and he's responding well to the antibiotics."

Sakura paused when Kakashi closed his eye and folded his arms, but he nodded for her to continue.

"From the preliminary scans I've done, there doesn't seem to be any brain or organ damage. In a few days, I'll begin a more in-depth assessment to determine why his immune system was compromised to begin with."

Kakashi cracked his eye open and asked, "Medically speaking, do you think he'll be ready to stand trial by next week?"

"So soon?"

"Sakura, you know that the sooner this mess is dealt with, the better. It could turn into a very sticky situation—not just with the daimyo and the Council, but with the people on the street as well." He shook his head. "Most people are afraid—civilians _and_ shinobi. They think Itachi's crazy. They think he just snapped one day and killed his whole family."

"Except for his little brother," whispered Sakura, glancing back at Itachi through his glass cage.

Pushing off the wall, Kakashi warned her, "Expect to see ex-Root shinobi here tomorrow. Tsunade asked their sealing specialists to see if Itachi is still bound by his Root seal."

"_Root seal?_ I didn't know Itachi was in Root."

"Did you really think that the _Sandaime Hokage_ would order anyone to kill an entire Konoha clan?" he asked, eyebrow raised. "Itachi was playing double-agent between his clan and Danzo's group. Tsunade believes that Root was prepping him with binding seals for months prior to the massacre. If that's true, how he managed to defy the seals and spare Sasuke, I don't know."

"But why wouldn't he be released from those seals after Danzo died, like Sai?"

"Not sure. That's what these specialists are supposed to find out tomorrow. So, will he be fit to withstand it?"

Sakura crossed her arms and glanced back at Itachi again. "Try to put them off until tomorrow night, Sensei. By then, he'll have several days of antibiotics in him and I can take him off the sedatives."

The sound of their boots clicking on tile bounced around the empty ward as they walked down the hall. Sakura was still shocked to think that Itachi had been a member of the underground Root group—she was also concerned that these seals might have something to do with Itachi's illness.

Flexing her recently-healed fingers brought to mind just how powerful a shinobi Itachi was—but to defy a _binding seal_? Was it even possible? Voicing her train of thought, Sakura turned to Kakashi and asked, "Sensei? How do _you_ think Itachi managed to break the power of the seal and spare Sasuke?"

He stopped for a moment and then said with a crinkled eye, "Well, I guess you just need the right motivation."

Sakura grimaced at Kakashi's trite explanation. She knew first-hand that just _wanting_ something wouldn't make it happen. Annoyance sparked as she felt like a genin again, her sensei brushing her off with platitudes.

Kakashi pushed the button to call the elevator. "You know, there aren't many who really understand Uchiha Itachi." His eyelid drooped as he lamented, "I can probably count on one hand the amount of people who actually know _why_ he killed his entire clan."

With that, Sakura's long-suppressed anger boiled over. "True. And, until recently, I would _not_ be counted among the people who knew." Kakashi gaped beneath his mask, frozen to the spot. "I still can't believe you and Naruto didn't tell me—we're _teammates_!"

Kakashi's shoulders slumped and he looked much older than his years. Sakura, however, had no pity for him. She shivered, recalling her trip to the Land of Iron. When she dipped her kunai in poison and packed paralyzing smoke-bombs into her pouch, she had no inkling of the pain that drove Sasuke to the brink.

"You know I never would've…if I'd known about…" She folded her arms and looked away. "Stopping Sasuke from hurting people for no reason was one thing, Sensei. Ending his life without knowing…"

"Would knowing _why_ he was killing everything in his path have made him any less of a threat to Konoha, Sakura?"

"Yes!" He tilted his head at her questioningly. "Okay, no—but to know that I would've killed the only—t-to know that I would've ended the life of a friend without all the facts?" She felt her stomach twist, a painful burning filling her eyes.

"Sakura, I'm sorry," Kakashi said as he laid a heavy hand on her shoulder. His long sigh was laced with regret. "I should've told you—but we still don't know the whole story. I needed to keep what was at that point _hearsay_ quiet. But…you're right. You are a member of Team Seven and I should've trusted you." Kakashi squeezed her arm as his lone eye looked at her with shame. "I haven't really been the best sensei, have I?"

Sakura cursed him in her head—he always knew just how to get to her. Her anger melted away and she felt a trembling smile come to her lips as she took his hand off her shoulder. Holding Kakashi's big, rough hand in both of hers she said, "Sensei, you taught me the most valuable lesson I've ever learned as a shinobi."

"Those who forsake their teammates are lower than trash," they mumbled in unison.

A smile stretching his mask, Kakashi reached up and ruffled her hair like she was still a little girl.

"You know, you always were my favorite student, Sakura," Kakashi confided as he walked into the open elevator, his arm raised in farewell. "Just don't tell Sasuke I told you that."

Sakura smiled at her sensei, his nose already in his book, as the doors slid closed.

Walking back to Itachi's room, she thought about what she'd said to Kakashi. To protect and support your teammates was the highest honor a shinobi could aspire to—and it seemed she was failing miserably at that goal.

She and Sasuke were still teammates. She needed to start treating him like one.

Mechanically checking Itachi's monitors, Sakura realized she would have to tell him what happened between her and his brother. An uncomfortable knot formed in her stomach—she knew the information would not make Sasuke happy at all, but she knew what it felt like to be left out, to not know. It was awful and, she remembered with sadness, it led to bad decisions.

She shuddered to think what her world would be like if she'd followed through with her decision to kill Sasuke. She pushed that thought away. She would fulfill her duty to Sasuke as his teammate. As soon as her shift was over, she would find him and tell him everything that happened. She would never forsake her friend.

* * *

><p>Sakura yawned and stretched in her chair. The clock on the wall told her it was a little after midnight—she'd been on duty for almost ten hours now and Shizune wouldn't be here to relieve her for another two. Even though the boredom was crushing, she relished those two hours because she knew once her shift was up, she would have to find Sasuke and reveal Itachi's secret—and she was dreading that moment.<p>

_I suppose I should admire his dedication as a shinobi_, Sakura thought, glancing at the silent Uchiha. Admiration for this man, however, was hard for her to muster. Thinking how Itachi destroyed Sasuke's childhood made her burn with anger. She knew he loved Sasuke—that he'd hoped to help him rise from the ashes of his clan—but she thought he had a strange way of showing it.

_Sasuke spent more than half his life chasing Itachi…and for what_. Sadly, she realized she'd been right—vengeance didn't make him happy. _Or me, either_, she sighed.

She stood up and stretched her arms over her head, her joints popping. Sitting around like this never suited Sakura. At least downstairs in the research labs, she was busy. The Restricted Ward was definitely _not_ a hotbed of activity. As she continued to stretch out her aching muscles, a rumble in her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten since breakfast.

_Ugh. And all I have in my office are emergency field rations._ Sakura cringed as she thought of the tasteless paste that shinobi carried as part of standard mission gear—you never knew when you'd be stuck in the middle of nowhere with nothing to eat.

_Which is exactly where I am right now!_ she whined. Just thinking about choking down that muck made her gag.

"I'd rather eat Naruto's microwave ramen. Bleh." She stuck out her tongue in disgust.

The rumbling quickly became unbearable. "Okay! Field rations it is!" She pressed her hand against the door to Itachi's room, unsealed it with a chakra flare and walked down the hall toward her makeshift office.

Halfway there, Sakura froze as she sensed another presence in her office.

_How the hell did someone make it past the ANBU guards?_

Her hand hovering over her kunai holster, she crept silently toward the door.

Inches away, Sakura recognized the powerful hum of Sasuke's chakra coming from the other side.

_How did he get in here? And why?_ A second's thought gave her the answer—she frowned, realizing that Sasuke had come to intimidate her into letting him see Itachi.

She flopped against the wall in despair—Sakura really wanted to help Sasuke. She was firm in her decision to tell him what happened between her and Itachi. With his brother out cold, however, Sasuke certainly wasn't going to get any answers from him tonight—and she needed to think of Itachi's health first. Once he'd recovered, she would let Sasuke talk to him all he wanted.

_That's not going to make Sasuke-kun very happy. I wonder if he'll be angry with me again._ She sighed. _Well, Sasuke's anger is better than his apathy. At least he's paying attention to me._

She fisted her hands. Although things had been rocky between her and Sasuke, she was no doormat. Guilt over something she'd done wrong was one thing, but guilt over something she was compelled to do by duty?

Sakura steeled herself as she reached out to open the door. She was ready to defend herself from Sasuke's looming presence, his barrage of questions, and his burning glares. What she stumbled into, however, was as far from her imagined interrogation as it could possibly be.

She knew her mouth was hanging open and there wasn't a thing she could do about it.

Sasuke was not swooping down on her, grilling her about Itachi—he was gently placing napkins and chopsticks beside two bowls of soup that smelled _so_ much better than field rations. Something about seeing Sasuke doing anything so domestic melted away any residual anger. She thought she ought to feel shocked, angry, awkward, _anything_, but the smell…it was just too tantalizing.

Sakura sniffed the air deeply. "Oh, Sasuke-kun!" she moaned. "What is that?"

She could've sworn she saw red blooming across his face, but he turned away so quickly that she wrote it off to her overactive imagination.

"I thought you might be hungry," he mumbled as he stuffed one hand into his pocket while his other hand rubbed the back of his neck.

Confused, Sakura thought that _this_ was surely a sign of embarrassment. _But…this is Sasuke-kun…_ She couldn't imagine _any_ situation where Sasuke would be embarrassed—especially not being here with her. She tried to turn this idea over in her mind, but her stomach overrode all brain function as she said, "You have no idea how hungry…"

Sakura slid into a chair in front of one of the bowls as she broke apart her chopsticks. Manners prevented her from immediately digging into the thick slab of pork and delicate noodles swimming in dark broth. Noticing there were no cups laid out, she popped open the bottom drawer of the desk and fished out two sake cups and a bottle.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Is that for medicinal purposes?"

"Yeah, well," she began, bashfulness heating her face as the fact that she was having dinner alone with Sasuke sunk in. "You don't apprentice with Tsunade and not have emergency sake hidden. It's the only thing that stops her temper. You never know when she's going to blow, so I've learned to hide diversions everywhere."

Sakura knew her nerves would make her babble, so she grabbed the bottle and poured out two cups in order to stop the flood of words.

"That's some sensei you have," he replied with a smirk and a gentle shake of his head.

"I suppose she's better than Naruto's sensei, though. She might drink and gamble a bit, but I think Jiraiya dragged poor Naruto to every public bath house in all of Fire Country and then some!" She drained her wine in a big gulp. She bit her cheeks in an effort to stop talking, but the emptiness of her stomach made the alcohol race to her head—and the babbling resumed. "That boy has probably seen enough naked women to last him a lifetime!" _What am I saying?_ she thought, mortified as she quickly refilled and drained another cup.

Sasuke picked up some pork and grunted a laugh. "You're one to laugh," Sakura accused, pointing at him with her chopsticks.

Drinking to cover her embarrassment was certainly not the best plan she ever had and now it was really backfiring on her—her tongue had been loosened by alcohol to the point where she was poking fun at _Sasuke_. She didn't think she'd ever live down the humiliation.

"You think I wasted my time learning how to sneak into the ladies' room?" His eyes burned with mischief and his lips turned up at the corners as he put his now-empty cup down.

Sakura couldn't stop the peal of laughter when she thought of Sasuke skulking around the bamboo fence of Konoha's public onsen as she refilled their glasses. "I meant you had a _great_ sensei, too," she said sarcastically. "But, come to think of it, you've probably reached your naked women quota as well."

He directed his face straight down toward his steaming bowl and muttered, "…don't know what you're talking about."

Such blatant embarrassment from Sasuke made Sakura feel strangely at ease. She giggled, tapping the top of her chopsticks against her chin as she speculated, "Well, if the rest of your life has been anything like that trip to Grass—"

He tipped his bangs forward to shield himself as much as possible. "I'm _trying_ to block that memory, Sakura," Sasuke interrupted through gritted teeth. "And, thankfully, the rest of my life has been _nothing_ like that genin mission." He hid his face behind a big swig of sake.

Memories of their younger days gave Sakura an elated buzz. She held her stomach as giggles began to spill out. "Oh, Sasuke-kun. Your face…hee, hee…when that old lady…opened her kimono and…hee, hee."

"I'd really rather _not_ be reminded." Sasuke shuddered then scowled at his ramen as he refilled his cup. Surprised at the hot pink of his cheeks, Sakura couldn't be sure if it was from remembrance or rice wine.

Her giggles began to run into sighs as she wiped away tears of laughter. "Well, I'm glad to hear that you haven't been further traumatized," she said, as she patted his arm reassuringly. As Sasuke looked from his arm to her, Sakura snatched her hand back, ashamed of her bold familiarity.

She grabbed for her cup to cover her discomfort and, seeing it was empty, she reached for the sake. She gripped the smooth neck and made to lift the bottle, but something big and warm enveloped her hand, weighing her down. Looking down at the bottle, Sakura's eyes flew open in shock—Sasuke's hand was wrapped around hers.

Her eyes met his and she felt like her brain stopped working. He looked so much like she remembered from their younger days—his dark eyes were filled with warmth, his cheeks glowed an innocent shade of pink while his ubiquitous smirk seemed more like an actual smile.

"I've got it," he said quietly as his other hand reached over to take the bottle from her. She flushed hotly as she noticed that he still held her hand loosely in his. She slowly pulled her hand away and laced her fingers together in her lap. Sakura felt dizzy and her hand burned where he'd touched it. She knew her face was blazing, but she hoped he would assume she'd had a bit too much to drink.

Sasuke filled her cup first and held it out to her. She was pleased to see that her hand was steady as she took it from him, but was careful to avoid touching. His fingers, however, slid across hers as he let go of the cup and Sakura's hand began to tremble.

Sasuke plucked his cup from the table and tapped it against hers, which she still held frozen in midair.

"Kanpai."

"Kanpai," she whispered, bringing the cup to her lips.

Sakura felt like she was melting from the inside. She closed her eyes and took another sip of wine. This night was really going very differently than she'd imagined it would when she first felt his chakra. She was pleasantly surprised when she realized he hadn't asked her once about Itachi.

"Sakura, about Itachi…"

_Here it comes_, she thought bitterly.

She was disappointed to think that there was more to Sasuke's visit than just sharing a meal. She knew she was being selfish, but she just wanted him to be here to see _her_. She sighed, putting her cup down. She readied a litany in her mind of Itachi's current medications, his status, and his projected recovery time.

"I can't remember a time when we were young that I wasn't with him."

Sakura's head snapped up—was Sasuke sharing stories of his childhood with her? Her eyes burned and her nose stung as she fought back the emotion. Sasuke had told her things before—things she was sure he never told Naruto or Kakashi—but that was so long ago. Had their friendship been repaired to the point where he felt comfortable doing that again, she wondered as she suppressed the desire to squeeze him with pure joy. When she glanced at him again, she warmed to see him looking so boyishly carefree as he gazed into the past, his mouth gently twisted into a wistful smirk.

"My mother told me that when I was a baby, Itachi would carry me around the house all the time. She said he should put me down _some_ times or I'd never want to be without him. But Itachi told her that he was my big brother and he needed to always be there to protect me."

Sasuke stared down at his hands, suddenly looking so much older. "After Madara died, I found out a lot of what he told me were lies. I began to wonder whether or not what he told me about the night he and Itachi…" He expelled a long, tense breath. "I began to wonder whether or not it was true."

Sakura felt an ache in her heart and found she couldn't breathe. She wrung her hands together against her chest as if in silent prayer, longing to get up and wrap consoling arms around Sasuke—to tell him that everything would be okay.

He brought his eyes up to meet hers. "I just want to know. I just want to hear him say it."

Seeing the pain in his eyes, Sakura wanted to give him some kind of comfort. "Sasuke-kun," she said gently. "Sometimes the world isn't so black and white. Maybe Itachi's situation was a shade of gray."

Sasuke folded his arms and looked away. "I'm tired of gray, Sakura."

She knew it was now or never. Draining the last of her wine—hoping for a little liquid courage—Sakura said, "Sasuke…back at Madara's, after you and Karin left—" She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Your brother woke up."

* * *

><p>Sasuke watched her, rapt, as she talked about Itachi crushing her hand while she tried to heal him. He leaned closer as she explained, her eyes trained to her lap, how she'd revealed her knowledge of his mission and how Sasuke just wanted to talk to him about it.<p>

"And then he said, _I will never speak of my mission to anyone. I will never compromise the safety of the village…not even for my little brother._" Sakura looked tentatively up at Sasuke and then quickly back to her lap.

He felt deflated—to have Itachi this close and have him refuse to speak? Quickly, disappointment turned to anger. Sasuke would have his answers. Itachi _would_ provide them.

Sakura seemed reluctant to continue. He prodded her with a gruff, "_And_."

"And then…he…" Sakura hugged herself as she turned away. "He used _Tsukuyomi_."

"_What?"_ Sasuke asked, much louder than he'd meant to, his hands in fists so tight his knuckles were white. To think that _Sakura_ was caught in that nightmare…

"He wanted me to kill him. He…forced me to use my chakra scalpels."

"Sakura, _how_ did he force out your chakra scalpels?" he probed, trying to keep his mounting anger toward his brother in check. He understood just how _Tsukuyomi_ worked and he burned knowing that Itachi had to reveal something terrifying to Sakura to manipulate her into attacking.

Avoiding his question, she said, "He told me I was putting the village in danger by healing him and—" She hugged herself a little tighter. "And I was prolonging your agony by allowing him to live." Her color drained and her eyes opened wide with recollected horror. Sasuke couldn't begin to imagine what would inspire that kind of fear in Sakura.

Knowing first-hand the terror of his brother's _Tsukuyomi_, Sasuke wasn't surprised to see Sakura's hands shaking. When she saw him looking, she clenched them into fists. He frowned when he thought of the feelings of inadequacy he stirred in her—she still didn't want to appear weak. He didn't want her to feel that way, but wasn't sure what to do to make her stop.

His body reacted quicker than his mind and, before he realized what he was doing, his hands reached out to steady hers. Her fragility caused an odd fluttering in his chest as Sasuke thought how much like frightened birds her hands felt in his. He moved closer and asked her gently, "Sakura, how did you manage to break through _Tsukuyomi_ without a Sharingan?"

Her pale cheeks filled with pink as she looked at their clasped hands. "Well," her lips curved upward slightly, "I guess you just need the right motivation."

Her eyes lifted to meet his and he was hit with a powerful surge of adrenaline. Feeling like his body was buzzing with a _Chidori Nagashi_, Sasuke slowly detached his hands from hers and moved a step away. Why was his heart beating so rapidly?

Desperately hoping to achieve some normalcy, he shoved his hands in his pockets and turned away.

As his heart began to slow down, Sasuke thought it best if he left. His thoughts were running wild—conflicted and confused. One side of him wanted to run down the hall and shove Itachi awake and demand the truth. The other side was making plans to bring Sakura teriyaki tomorrow. Lost in his circle of thoughts, he jumped when a hand wrapped around his arm, turning him.

"Sasuke?"

He was powerless to resist as she pulled him around to face her. Meeting her eyes sent that same thrill of electricity through him as she quirked her head to the side.

"Would you like to see Itachi?"

A wave of emotion he found difficult to conceal washed over him, so he bent his head to the floor, his hair covering his eyes.

"He's heavily sedated and he won't be able to hear you or talk to you, but you could still see him…if you like." He felt her eyes on him, scrutinizing him, waiting for his answer.

As much as he wanted to force the truth from Itachi, the idea of just _looking_ at his big brother overwhelmed Sasuke. How long had it been since he'd looked at Itachi with eyes that weren't full of hate? The thought forced a lump into his throat as he held his breath, trying to suppress his reactions. A tug on his sleeve snapped Sasuke's head up to look at Sakura's smiling face.

"His room is this way," she said, leading the way out of the office.

Anxiously, Sasuke followed her down the hall. He noticed an air of self-assurance surrounding Sakura as she strode through the ward. It was comforting to see her like this, especially after she'd just seemed so very fragile. To know that someone this powerful was his ally—his _teammate_—swelled his chest with pride…and then a pit in his stomach filled with shame to think of the things he'd said about her to Naruto. It was very obvious that she was loyal to him, to their team.

_Their_ team, Sasuke thought wistfully.

As streaming light from the glass-walled room haloed Sakura's hair, Sasuke averted his eyes to his shoes. He knew if he lifted his eyes just slightly, he'd be able to see his brother. Sweat made his hands slippery, so he shoved them inside his pockets and balled them into fists. His heart was racing—he wanted to run away just as much as he wanted to run toward the glow that held Itachi.

Sakura stopped and flattened her hand against the door. His panic rose as he felt her small flare of chakra.

They were here. Itachi was a few feet away.

Sasuke froze outside the door. He was about to come face to face with the man he'd hated and hunted for years—the same man whom he'd adored and admired for years.

Sakura stepped inside and turned to Sasuke. After standing outside for what felt like hours, her firm grip around his wrist steadily pulled him forward. His legs found the strength to move when he heard her whisper, "It's okay, Sasuke-kun." When he was fully inside, she let go and walked up to Itachi's bed, a glow surrounding her hands.

He forced himself to look at his brother. The first thing he noticed was how much better and stronger Itachi seemed now that he was under Sakura's care. His skin was full of healthy color and his face was less sunken. The hollow pit in his stomach was quickly filled with ice—Itachi would not be tricked by a hidden syringe this time.

Stepping between his brother and his teammate, he asked, "Sakura, do you have any restraints here?"

"Sasuke, he's so heavily sedated that he's practically in a coma. He won't—"

"Never underestimate an Uchiha," he admonished, bringing his nose right up to hers and accenting his words with a pointed finger in her face.

They stayed less than a hair's breadth apart for several seconds as Sasuke tried to make her understand the danger she was in with an angry glare. Sakura huffed her bangs, as well as his, out of her face in exasperation.

"Even if he did wake up, I would know before anything could happen."

"Do you have restraints here or should I go get them?" he demanded, pulling himself up taller and folding his arms.

Folding her arms right back at him, she snarled, "No, I don't. Maybe you should go get them. I'll be sure to tell ANBU to be on the alert for your return."

Sasuke wanted to shake her. Why wouldn't she understand?

"Sakura, I am _not_ leaving you here unprotected!"

He was shocked at how clearly the desperation he felt was revealed in his voice. Uncomfortable heat rising to his face forced him to turn his back to her as he mumbled, "Those who forsake their teammates are lower than trash."

Sasuke remained with his back to her for several long minutes. Why didn't she answer him? Didn't she understand that he—his stomach twisted as he tried to put a finger on the feeling he wanted to convey to Sakura. Well, he thought, he cared for his…for his teammate's safety.

Sakura's prolonged silence made him shift uncomfortably. Had he overstepped the boundary of their truce? Sasuke cursed himself. He'd been trying for so long to just _talk_ to Sakura. If he'd screwed up his chance to finally be friends with her—if he'd ruined his chance to gain her forgiveness… He kicked himself for being so forceful with her. With something that he hoped was an apology on his tongue, he turned to face her.

Sakura's hands were swiping at her cheeks as she looked up at him with a wavering smile.

"Th-there are restraints in the cabinet by the door…and maybe we could find some kind of blindfold in there as well?"

That buzzing feeling he'd experienced back in Sakura's office tingled through his body again, so he dug through the cabinet as he tried to shake it off. Sasuke felt a lightness in his chest that he hadn't felt in a long time.

"Sakura." He handed her a restraint as he tried to keep his tone bland and conversational in the hope that she wouldn't hear how nervous he was to ask her this simple question. "Do you have time to spar tomorrow?"

Sakura froze, her hands locked in position around Itachi's left wrist restraint. Sasuke stopped breathing while he folded and unfolded Itachi's blindfold, waiting for her to answer, wondering if he'd made a mistake. Her hands slowly unfroze as her head dipped slightly, her hair hiding her eyes.

"Um…"

The ice in Sasuke's stomach was about to solidify before he saw something that made it melt—Sakura was fighting a losing battle to keep a smile from spreading across her face.

"Sure."

* * *

><p>Without the diligent efforts of Unicorn Paige, this chapter would be languishing in the darkest recesses of my hard drive. Thank you so much, Paige, for sacrificing some of your Freedom Time to edit Chapter Seven! I'll save you some cookies!<p>

I want to wish all of you a happy holiday and the very best new year! I hope you enjoy this chapter and remember to leave some cookies for Santa. Did you hear that, Paige? Happy 2012, everyone!


	8. Chapter 8

Karin thought long and hard about what Sasuke said last night.

"_I don't know where you're going, Karin, but I'm going to find an old friend."_

She flipped the menu over for the tenth time as Ayame stood scowling, order book and pencil poised, waiting for her decision.

"Hmm…pork, salt, or miso?" Karin mulled over her choices yet again. _Definitely not pork_, she thought as her face twisted like she'd smelled something bad.

She was many things, but Karin was not stupid—she knew exactly where Sasuke was going with those two orders of pork ramen. She thought for sure he was done with Sakura after what happened during their mission at Madara's base.

_Ooh! Sasuke-kun was so mad when he thought she'd killed his precious brother_, she recalled gleefully.

Yet, it seemed that somehow he was able to forgive her. She scowled and clutched the plastic-sealed menu with a white-knuckle grip.

"Are you ready to order yet?" Ayame asked—any semblance of sweetness worn away by Karin's dawdling.

"Just get me some gyoza," she said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Ayame snatched the menu from her hand and stalked into the kitchen.

"Whatever," sneered Karin. She spun her stool around to gaze at the sleepy streets of Konoha. _Nothing ever happens here!_ she lamented with a groan, wishing Sasuke would show up—at least then she'd have something to do. She'd need to add _Move out of Konoha_ to her to-do list once she became Uchiha Karin.

Thoughts of Sakura intruded on her fantasizing and Karin ground her teeth. _There's got to be a reason why Sasuke-kun is being so nice to her. After what happened when they found his broth—of course! Itachi! _

How could she have overlooked that? Sasuke was buttering up Sakura because she was holding his brother hostage. His new obsession, now that he was over the whole _revenge_ thing, was to _get answers_ from his brother…whatever that meant.

Much as she disliked her, Karin had to hand it to Sakura—she held one heck of a bargaining chip.

_How can I possibly swing Sasuke-kun's attention my way when all he thinks about lately is his brother and those ex-teammates of his? Hmm…I need to attack this problem from another angle. _She folded her arms and concentrated.

_That stupid Team Seven._

They had some kind of hold on Sasuke. Karin recalled one moment of rare candor when they were Taka where Sasuke revealed that Naruto and Sakura were his _precious people_. Karin's face contorted as she recalled his uncommonly nostalgic expression when he said it.

_I'll be precious to him, too_, she thought confidently, an idea forming in her head. _Just watch me._

With a wicked smile, she realized that if she couldn't turn Sasuke away from his _precious_ teammates, maybe she could turn _them_ away from Sasuke. And she knew exactly how she'd start.

* * *

><p>Sakura closed her eyes to savor the feeling just a few seconds more.<p>

Her arms tingled where his skin touched hers. Every puff of his warm breath just behind her earlobe caused bolts of adrenaline to shoot down her spine—she turned her head slightly to feel his warmth in the crook of her neck, luxuriating in every sensation.

The full weight of his body was pressing her down into the soft cushion of grass. His metal armguards dug into the soft flesh of her forearms as he trapped her hands above her head. The rapid press of his chest against hers as he struggled to breathe made her dizzy.

Slowly opening her eyes, she saw a blurry mass of black move past her line of vision only to be replaced by the clear cobalt of the late afternoon sky.

Sasuke rolled off her and into the grass. With his weight lifted, her lungs filled to capacity—she swallowed hard, still panting. Sakura smiled when she heard Sasuke having as much trouble catching his breath as she was. He wriggled to move his sword out from behind him and his shoulder now pressed firmly against hers.

"That was good," Sakura gasped, a gentle sheen of sweat making her glow in the warm sunshine. His eyes closed as Sasuke shook his head in disagreement. Her smile dropped and she propped herself up on one elbow to see his face.

His heavy-lidded eyes lifted slightly and he smirked. "That was _very_ good," he murmured.

Sakura fell back into the plush grass, laughing with relief—she felt immensely gratified to know she'd put up a good fight.

Her first spar with Sasuke since he'd come home went amazingly well. Despite losing in the end, Sakura knew she'd pushed him hard—and he'd pushed back with equal tenacity. After last night in the hospital where he admitted that he considered her a teammate, she found she was able to fight him more freely—she was his equal.

Sighing, she thought that all she wanted to do now was lie next to him in this sweet smelling field all afternoon. She couldn't help but smile contentedly as her eyelids slid closed.

Sakura was surprised that the road back to being friends with Sasuke wasn't much longer and rockier. She thought that the years past and the harsh experiences they'd both lived through must've really changed them in ways they weren't aware of. To think that Sasuke would readily admit that they were on the same level was shocking, but exhilarating. All the dreams Sakura had of walking _with_ Sasuke and Naruto and not behind them were finally coming true.

Only now that she knew she stood side-by-side with him would she allow herself to dream of something more…

Her longing was interrupted by a shadow blocking the bright sun from her face. Squinting against the broken light, Sakura saw a hand reaching out to her. Momentarily confused, she followed up the arm to see Sasuke gazing placidly down at her. A flick of his head connected the dots as she realized he wanted to help her up.

A cold thrill ran down her neck and settled in her stomach as she reached out. Sakura watched with detached wonder as her hand slipped into his. Sasuke's closed fingers surrounded hers completely as he tugged her up from the ground.

Her head spun momentarily from rapidly finding herself vertical. As Sakura focused, she was alarmed to find that she was nose to nose with Sasuke. A blush rouged her cheeks—he had not let go of her hand. She cautiously lifted her head and found herself locked in his gaze—her head told her that she could look away any time, but her body told her this wasn't possible. She'd always thought it was romantic nonsense to think that she would ever be _caught_ by someone's eyes, but meeting Sasuke's look, his endless, dark eyes staring back into hers, she knew it was true. She was trapped.

Catching movement from the corner of her eye, Sakura began to tremble—his other hand was reaching up toward her head. She looked back to his face and her breath caught in her throat—he was leaning closer, tilting his head, parting his lips.

A cold spike ran through her gut—fear or excitement—she couldn't tell which emotion tipped the scales. She closed her eyes, her lips tingling—she was overwhelmed by the anticipation of his mouth finally meeting hers. His hand gently cupped her head and his fingers sank into her hair.

"You know," he said quietly. "You could've saved yourself an inch of hair if you dodged that Fuma shuriken a little faster."

Sakura's eyes snapped open in disbelief. His lips quirked as his hand raked through her hair and he wiggled his fingers, shaking loose the newly-shorn, pink locks.

She felt like something broke inside of her. As Sasuke smirked, all she saw was his perpetual disappointment in her. Her fury boiled over—had she really believed he would consider her an equal?

_Never enough!_ she screamed in her head. _Never good enough. Never fast enough. Never smart enough. Never strong enough. _Never_ enough for Sasuke!_

She slapped his hand away from her head as her face twisted. Taking a step back, Sakura lashed out at him.

"Well, I thought we agreed this was going to be a purely taijutsu spar. The fact that you had to use your Sharingan not only broke the rules, but shows just how close to victory I really was!"

Sasuke's brows knit in confusion then his face blackened in anger. Sakura knew his Sharingan was unconsciously activated by adrenaline and that he wasn't trying to cheat, but she didn't care. She wanted to hurt him—like he'd hurt her so many times before.

Sasuke took a step back, dropping her hand. She watched his face as the heat of anger iced over to apathy. Without saying a word, he turned his back on her and began walking toward the village.

All of her past frustrations suddenly came bubbling to the surface. Echoes of Sasuke's voice reminding her how weak she really was, bounced around in her head as she watched the Uchiha crest moving away.

Always_ walking away!_ a voice in her head raged.

Sakura's boot slammed down hard on the ground. Blinded as she was by frustration, she was not fully conscious of the amount of chakra that accompanied it. A deep fissure split the earth under the heel of her foot and shot toward Sasuke.

Stumbling as the ground gaped open beneath him, Sasuke just managed to leap to the safety of a tree. Gathering himself, he turned a glare toward Sakura. She returned his glare with equal intensity as her whole body tensed with fury. Why would she never measure up in his eyes?

_This time_, she thought fiercely, _you'll watch _me_ walk away_.

She gave him one last defiant look and took off, the air around her rippling as she flash-stepped toward the village.

* * *

><p>Karin spun on her chair, bored. If Sasuke didn't show up at Ichiraku's for lunch today, she would resume her search for him in the village. She blew her bangs out of her face and spun around again.<p>

Thinking of Sasuke made her recall her resolve to split him from his team. With a smirk, Karin went through the proper balance of chakra amounts for her new manipulation technique. Focusing a portion of her chakra into a tiny ball was easy enough—changing the chakra signature of that ball was the hard part.

_You just need the right motivation!_ she giggled to herself, turning her stool to the counter just as the kitchen door whooshed open.

A plate of steaming dumplings clunked down in front of her, fogging her glasses. Yanking them off, Karin scrubbed them with a napkin as she grumbled.

"Hey, old man! Miso ramen, please! Hi, Ayame."

Repositioning her glasses, Karin eyed Naruto just one seat away. Recognizing an opportunity, she grabbed her plate and slid onto the stool next to him.

"_Naruto!_ I haven't seen you in soooo long! How are you?" Karin sang with forced cheeriness.

The brilliant smile Naruto wore dimmed when he turned toward her.

"Oh, hey, Karin."

Karin leaned her elbow on the counter and rested her chin in her palm. "Have you just come back from training?"

"No, and I don't know where Sasuke is."

"Wh-what makes you think I was looking for Sasuke-kun?" she spluttered.

Naruto sighed and said flatly, "You're _always_ looking for Sasuke, Karin."

"Naruto! I'm just as happy to see _you_!" she cooed, patting his arm. "Any interesting missions lately?"

"Nope. Thanks, Ayame." Naruto beamed as his soup landed in front of him. He snapped his chopsticks in two and slurped up a big mouthful of noodles.

"Uh, eaten any new ramen flavors?" Karin asked, grasping for a conversation topic.

Naruto turned furrowed brows at her as he slurped up the end of a long noodle. Finally, he put down his chopsticks and said, "Look, Karin. What is it that you _really_ want?"

Karin waved her hand at him as she turned her head away bashfully. "Oh, Naruto-kun. You can read me like a book."

She saw his astonishment at her use of the familiar suffix and wondered if she'd gone too far. He continued to stare at her suspiciously. The silence stretched out before Karin couldn't take it any longer and blurted out, "Okay…it's Sasuke."

"I knew it," Naruto groused, picking up his chopsticks and digging into his bowl.

"No! It's not what you think. I-I'm worried about him. Naruto, he's not happy here in Konoha."

Karin saw concern flit across his face—this would be easier than she thought.

"What do you mean _he's not happy_? Nobody forced Sasuke to come home, Karin."

"That's true, but Sasuke-kun has a lot of memories of Konoha—and more painful than his bad memories are his good memories." She continued as he frowned in confusion. "Everywhere he looks, he sees the marks his family left behind. What do you think it does to poor Sasuke-kun to see his family crest on the sleeve of every police officer in the Leaf and know that not a single Uchiha is employed there? Uchihas used to make up the entire First Division, from what I've heard.

"Everywhere in Konoha there are reminders of the life he used to have, of the dreams he had when he was a boy. And, just when Sasuke-kun might've started to settle in and make a new life, the brother who ruined everything is welcomed back to _his_ home with open arms. Imagine what kind of a betrayal that feels like."

Karin could easily read the emotions on Naruto's open expression—hurt, sadness, worry. She paused to let it all soak in. His chopsticks lay forgotten in his hand as he wondered aloud, "H-how can I help?"

"Oh, Naruto-kun! I knew I could count on you!" she said, smiling widely at him. She adjusted her face into an expression of concern. "Well, you know how Sasuke-kun is. He needs his space. He likes to be left alone. He'll need time and space to heal. Best to just leave him be for a while."

"Do you really think that's the best way to help him? Sasuke tends to do stupid things when you leave him alone."

The pain in those clear, blue eyes drew Karin in. She couldn't help but see Naruto's overabundance of sunshiny chakra radiating all around him. She faltered. Could she really deceive such a pure, determined friend?

Closing her eyes, Karin imagined strong hands peeling off her wedding gown, her fingers tracing the Uchiha crest on his back, as she closed the door of her luxurious mansion somewhere _outside_ of Konoha, and she knew, without a doubt, that she could do this.

"Naruto," Karin murmured soothingly. "You know how Sasuke-kun doesn't like to talk about these things. Pull back for a while. Like I said, he needs his space right now."

Naruto nodded, his ramen cold. Karin speared a rubbery gyoza, thinking smugly how easy it was to manipulate _nice_ people into doing exactly what you wanted them to.

_Now_, she thought with a wicked smirk, _on to Sakura._

* * *

><p>Kakashi wondered what he'd done wrong in his life that he was forced to be in this hospital so much. Granted, today he wasn't enduring one of Sakura's lectures on how he should take better care of himself on missions or she <em>wouldn't be able to fit the pieces left of him into a thimble, damn it<em>.No, today, he was here only to observe the former Root sealing squad draw thousands of symbols in concentric circles on the floor surrounding Uchiha Itachi.

With a strong surge of chakra, Sakura stalked into Itachi's room. Kakashi could feel the lethal fury radiating off her as Shizune filled her in on her patient's progress before she exited the ward, yawning and rubbing her pregnant belly as she went.

"What are you doing here, Sensei?" asked Sakura brusquely.

"Nice to see you too, Sakura," Kakashi teased gently. "Want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about. I'm fine. Perfectly fine. Now, I have work to do. So, if you're here on a social call, Sensei, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." She grabbed Itachi's chart and heatedly whipped through the pages.

_Worse than I thought_, Kakashi mused. _Bet I know who inspired this wonderful mood._ Only Sasuke who could rile her up like this. _Ah, young love._

"Actually, Sakura, I'm here on the Hokage's orders. The Root team will be here any minute and Tsunade wants me to observe and report back."

"Oh," she said, glancing around as if noticing the symbols covering the floor for the first time. "They're coming tonight?"

"Yes. I put them off until tonight, just like you asked me to."

Sakura shook her head and said, "Right. Okay. I remember."

She looked foggy, preoccupied. _Sasuke must've done something really stupid this time_.

His thoughts were interrupted when the three black-clad shinobi of the Root sealing squad came to attention in front of him.

"We're ready to begin."

Kakashi nodded and grabbed Sakura by the arm, saying, "We need to wait outside." Steering her out the door, they both watched from the other side of the glass as the former Root members dropped to one knee and began a series of intricate hand signs.

Their leader mumbled instructions as they simultaneously slapped their hands to the floor. The thousands of symbols they'd drawn that afternoon glowed blue, illuminating the entire room. They began another series of hand signs.

Kakashi thought he heard a faint hum as the light in the room slowly shifted to green with a second slap to the ground. The squad leader's hands became a blur as he alone slid through a multitude of complex signs. He slapped both of his hands to the floor and the humming reached a fever pitch.

Red light flooded the room and loud alarms began to clang as Kakashi pushed his hitai-ate up to expose his Sharingan. Sakura had already flown from his side and was attempting to open the door—with no success.

She turned frantic eyes to Kakashi. "I can't open it! The jutsu is suppressing my chakra!" Sakura banged on the glass. "_Stop!_ Stop the jutsu! _Now!_"

Instantly, the three Root shinobi stood and the red light died out. Sakura shoved the door open and flew to Itachi's side, chakra already encasing her hands.

Itachi's monitors continued to blare while Sakura pushed chakra into him.

Kakashi hit the button by Itachi's bedside, alerting Shizune to the danger. Within seconds she was standing side-by-side with Sakura, pouring chakra into the dying ninja.

He sighed with relief as the cacophony of warning alarms stopped ringing—only to be replaced by a single, high-pitched beep. His relief was pushed aside as he recognized that distinctive hum.

It was the sound of Itachi's stopped heart.

Shizune pulled her hands away and looked askance at an unrelenting Sakura. Knowing what Itachi's life meant to Sakura—because it meant so much to Sasuke—Kakashi resisted the urge to gently remove her from what he knew to be a lost cause.

"Please, Itachi. For Sasuke-kun…_please_," she cajoled him and, with a grunt, she forced a final surge of chakra into his system.

Like a newborn baby, Itachi sucked in a breath as his monitors sprang back to life.

Sakura swayed and Kakashi reached out for her, his hand hovering under her elbow. When she nodded wearily, letting him know she would be okay, he smiled and flicked his head toward the Root squad.

They met the three shinobi outside Itachi's room as Shizune monitored the patient within. The squad leader snapped to attention.

"Hatake-senpai, I would like to give you a general briefing to relate to Tsunade-sama. I will, of course, detail everything for her in a written report."

"Of course," agreed Kakashi, nodding. He glanced warily at Sakura as she wiped sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. She'd need to rest soon, he thought—hopefully, this would be a quick briefing.

"During our probe, it was discovered that Uchiha Itachi is still bound by some of the seals that were placed on him during his time with Root. The first seal, a standard silencing seal, appears to have disappeared with the death of Danzo-sama—as it has with every Root member. The second seal is a bit more complicated. Although I have yet to corroborate this with our records, I believe this seal was placed on Uchiha-san to ensure that his last mission was completed."

"What do you mean _completed_?" Sakura asked suspiciously.

The specialist looked to Kakashi for permission to continue.

"Haruno-san is the Hokage's apprentice. Whatever you can say in front of me, you can say in front of her." Kakashi didn't miss Sakura's tiny smile. He'd left her out once—he wouldn't make that mistake again.

The squad leader nodded sharply. "Judging from the nature of the seal, I believe it was meant to become painful to Uchiha-san at first and then physically destructive if he didn't finish his mission to eradicate every member of his clan."

"Eradicate _all_ of the Uchiha clan?" Kakashi's eye widened in horror as realization sunk in.

"So, you're saying that because he left his brother alive, Itachi has been slowly dying all these years?" Sakura looked confused as she glanced at Itachi's room. "Can anything be done to lift the seal?"

The dark ninja shifted. "These are arcane and forbidden jutsu, Haruno-san. I'll need to research extensively. Danzo-sama's private library is being sorted through and I've heard he had ancient fuinjutsu documents from Uzushio. They might help us shed some light on Uchiha-san's situation. Unless we can find a solution to this…well, all I can say with absolute certainty is that every day that his brother is alive brings Uchiha Itachi one step closer to the grave."

* * *

><p>Despite feeling a little shaky and knowing she was low on chakra, Sakura felt secure in sending Shizune home. Itachi was resting comfortably now and she was certain he'd continue to rest for some time.<p>

That didn't stop Kakashi from keeping his eye on her—he might look like his nose was buried in _Icha Icha_, but Sakura knew him better.

A quick flick of her glowing hand across Itachi's chest put Sakura at ease—he actually seemed to be doing much better now. She brushed his hair from his face. She smiled, thinking how alike he and Sasuke looked.

Now knowing all the intricacies of Itachi's mission, Sakura found herself looking at him in a new light. She knew about the difficult position he was in—how he had to make an awful choice between his family and his home. She also knew how he'd spared Sasuke out of love, but to know that he'd loved him enough to overcome binding seals?

Sakura thought about the enormous amount of pain Itachi suffered for years after—all that just to let Sasuke live. Itachi's plan to have Sasuke return to Konoha a hero might've taken a few wrong turns, but the plan was conceived with nothing but the deepest love for his little brother. A strange, painful warmth curled in her chest as she thought how nice it would be for Sasuke to have his brother back—the brother he longed for.

Itachi's cheek twitched as she moved a stray lock and Sakura froze. She snapped her eyes to his monitors as an eerie dread crept up her spine.

"Sensei. He's coming around."

Kakashi was at her side before she could blink. The only movement that would've otherwise revealed her patient's conscious state was a slight jerk of his hands—a jerk that told her Uchiha Itachi was aware he was restrained.

"Uchiha-san, can you hear me? I'm Haruno Sakura and you're currently under my care in the Restricted Ward of Konoha Hospital. You're being treated for a system-wide infection, but I'm confident you'll make a full recovery soon."

Itachi was still and silent throughout Sakura's monologue. When she finished, he slowly angled his head in the direction of her voice and croaked, "Haruno-san, you are…persistent." Turning away, he added sourly, "You should've left me to die."

She shuddered at the sound of his voice, remembering his threats while under the _Tsukuyomi_.

Kakashi stepped up to announce his presence. "Uchiha Itachi. Hatake Kakashi, Senior Jounin of the Hidden Leaf. The Hokage has already begun the presentation of your case before the daimyo and Council—they'll decide your status as a Konoha shinobi."

Her sensei's voice calmed Sakura and she was able to gather herself. Pouring a glass of water for Itachi, she noticed the slight tremor in her hands. She tried to suppress her trembling as she held the cup to his lips and lifted his head. Being close to Itachi now that he was conscious was unnerving, but touching him was much more intimidating.

"A Konoha shinobi?" Itachi scoffed, his voice still raw. "I never wanted to set foot in the Hidden Leaf again."

Sakura was stunned. She knew Itachi had been ordered to kill his clan, but she'd believed he'd done it for the sake of Konoha. Why would he never want to return to the village he loved so well? And why wouldn't Itachi want to embrace what little family he had left? She had to speak up for Sasuke.

"Itachi-san, your brother…he's been asking to see you."

"_That_ is exactly why I never wanted to come back to this place. I have nothing to say to my little brother. I refuse to see him…_ever_," he spat out with finality.

Sakura welled up. Why would he be so willing to sacrifice himself for Sasuke, but be so unwilling to give his brother the closure he had to know he needed? Rather than answers, it seemed that a conscious Uchiha Itachi just raised more questions in Sakura's mind.

Luckily, Kakashi spoke up. "Root specialists have confirmed that, with the death of Danzo, your silencing seal has been released. The Hokage and her assistant will be here tomorrow to speak to you about your last mission, now that you're free to discuss it. Your binding seal, however, will require more research." Kakashi's voice softened with compassion. "We are all working diligently to remove this seal as quickly as possible. I'm sure it'll be a relief to be out of pain. In the meantime, Haruno-san will be working to ease your burden. Please let her know if you are in any distress."

Kakashi looped his fingers around Sakura's wrist and lead her out the door—her sensei wanted to give Itachi time to sort through his thoughts. Doubtful that he'd change his mind about Sasuke, despair settled over her. How would she break _this_ news to Sasuke?

Just as the door was resealing, Sakura heard Itachi mutter, "No one can ease my burden. I am a shinobi—I endure."

* * *

><p>Paige...you know how awesome you are, right? Do I have to tell you again? Oh, all right. YOU ARE ROCK LEE!<p>

And so are all of you! You make me smile with every review. Thank you!

This chapter is dedicated to Good boy-chan who makes me guffaw and scratch my head at the same time.


	9. Chapter 9

_Come on, Sakura! Get a grip! So, you'll have to tell Sasuke-kun that his brother never wants to see him for the rest of his life. You'll figure out a way to soften the blow…right?_

She huffed a small, incredulous laugh and shook her head when Kakashi looked sidelong at her. She couldn't imagine what his reaction would be if she'd let out the hysterical giggle she'd tamped down. What she really wanted to do was groan in defeat and bang her head against the wall, but that would _definitely_ make Kakashi question her sanity.

Why did things have to be so hard for Sasuke? And why did _she_ have to be the one to deliver _more_ bad news?

Sakura recalled their mutual glaring after this afternoon's spar—she didn't think Sasuke would be very receptive to any placating gesture on her part. Anger, longing, and embarrassment jumbled in her head as she remembered how close he'd been, how her lips tingled, how gently he ran his fingers through her hair.

He had to know how she felt about him—she screamed it at his retreating back years ago. To toy with her like that, treating her feelings so callously…maybe he didn't deserve any kindness from her.

Her heart was too soft for him, though, and soon sympathetic thoughts were swelling as she tried to think of how she would approach this dreadful topic. She rubbed her forehead worriedly, composing and recomposing conversation starters.

A hand on her back abruptly ended these thoughts. Sakura turned and saw the comforting squint of her sensei.

"Sakura, why don't you take a break? Maybe go downstairs and get us some tea?" suggested Kakashi as he gently pushed her toward the open elevator—she could use some time away from Itachi.

Sakura exhaled as the doors closed on Kakashi waving. Today had been a real emotional roller coaster. She groaned with the weight of the day's events, kneading the kinks out of her neck.

The doors opened and she nodded at the ANBU guards. Her boots clacked across the sparkling lobby floor as Sakura thought how much lighter she felt away from Itachi's oppressive presence. Buying tea didn't take nearly enough time—she still hadn't shaken the anxiety lingering in her stomach. Way too soon, she found herself feet away from the guarded elevator.

"Sakura?"

She thought she recognized the voice, but for some reason she couldn't place it until the vivid red hair made it perfectly clear—but why did Karin sound so different?

"Um, I was wondering if you had a minute." Karin was glancing between Sakura and the floor, wringing her hands. It was then that she understood why Karin seemed so different—she wasn't screaming or cooing over Sasuke.

"Karin?"

"I know we didn't get off to the best start…but I thought, maybe, we could talk? We're both kunoichi." Tears were welling in Karin's eyes. "We gotta stick together, right?"

"What do you want?" Sakura's voice was laced with suspicion and little patience.

The tears leaked from behind Karin's glasses as her fingers twisted and squeezed together. "I haven't been feeling very well. I-I don't really know what could be wrong." Karin hung her head and Sakura felt the medic in her overpower her extreme distaste for the woman. She wrestled with her decision, but decided that she could use a few more minutes away from Itachi.

With a sigh that seemed to come up from her toes, she said, "Come on," as she nudged Karin down the hall. "There's bound to be an empty exam room here. Let's have a look."

Karin's face turned up to hers with a beaming smile. "Y-you'd do that…for _me_?"

As much as she didn't want to, Sakura found herself smiling. "Sure. We kunoichi gotta stick together, right?"

"Right!" Karin said with a slight waver as she followed down the hall, into a room, and onto an examination table.

Sakura placed the two cups of tea on the counter and reached for her otoscope. Turning on the light, she moved Karin's hair aside to look in her ears. "Tell me what the problem is."

"My stomach hasn't been right for a while now. It's been hard to get myself to eat anything."

"Any vomiting?" Sakura checked her pupils.

"No. And I can't seem to get rid of these headaches. I guess the headaches are what's making me so tired, too."

"Have you eaten anything strange recently? Anything out of the ordinary? From a restaurant or a friend's house?"

"Um, no. Nothing unusual."

"Any allergies?"

"Nope. Nothing."

Sakura hung up her scope. Opening a drawer and pulling out a test kit, she ripped open the alcohol swab and asked Karin to hold out her arm. With practiced ease, she inserted the syringe and removed a small vial of blood. Karin rolled down her sleeve with a look of unease as Sakura labeled her sample and dropped it in the chute that lead to the lab.

"Lay down. Let's see what's going on."

Concentrating her chakra—she was still a little woozy from healing Itachi—Sakura ran her hands slowly over Karin. "How long have you been feeling this way?"

"Um," Karin hummed as she thought. "A couple of weeks? Close to a month, maybe?"

"Your lungs are clear. I don't see any heart abnormalities. Everything seems to be—"

A gentle murmur escaped Sakura's lips as her hands floated over Karin's abdomen. With a concerned look, Karin made to sit up, saying, "What is it?"

Sakura gently pressed her shoulder back to the table. Moving both hands over Karin's stomach, she looked at her fellow-kunoichi and smiled. "Now, nothing is certain until more tests are done, but I feel more than reasonably safe in telling you—Karin, you're pregnant."

Sitting up quickly, Karin squealed, "Are you sure?"

"Like I said, reasonably," Sakura confirmed. "Congra—"

"Oh, this is so wonderful! Sasuke-kun is going to be so happy!"

"_S-Sasuke?" _

"Of course. It's always been his dream to restore his clan." Karin sighed dreamily, her hands clasped under her chin in delight.

Try as she might, Sakura couldn't bring herself to close her mouth. Karin looked at her questioningly. "I'm sorry. Didn't you know?"

Sakura shook her head mutely, mouth still gaping.

"Sasuke-kun and I have been together for a while now. I'm really surprised he didn't tell you. You _did_ say you were friends, didn't you?" Karin gave her a look of playful suspicion. "That silly boy! He'd been eying me up for years—since he first came to Orochimaru-sama, in fact." Karin laughed loudly. "When he told me he _needed_ me, I didn't think he meant it _that_ way!"

Sakura felt as if she'd been punched in the gut. Sasuke with Karin? Sasuke _choosing_ Karin? The way he'd looked at Sakura—had it all been wishful thinking on her part?

She remembered Karin wrapped around Sasuke's arm so often during their mission—she didn't recall him pushing her off once. Why hadn't she seen the signs? She chastised herself—she _did_ see the signs. She'd argued with herself daily on that mission about what their relationship might be. Apparently, she just didn't _want_ to see the truth because she'd explained it all away in her head. She felt herself sinking—deep, clawing despair swallowing her whole.

Arms were suddenly wrapped around her as Karin whispered in her ear, "Sakura, you really are a good friend. Thanks so much." She released Sakura from the embrace. "I can't wait to tell Sasuke-kun!" Squealing, she flailed her hand in farewell and ran out of the room, leaving Sakura to numbly make her way back to the elevator.

As the elevator doors slid closed, Sakura collapsed against the far wall, thoughts of Karin and her baby—_Sasuke's_ baby—crashing in her head. She angrily scolded herself when her eyes burned and her breathing hitched. _Keep it together, Sakura, you stupid, stupid weakling!_ Angry at everything and taking it out on herself, she punched the button for the top floor repeatedly in a desperate attempt to make it go faster.

What had she been thinking, hoping for more than just friendship from Sasuke? He would never look at her that way. Karin had been gifted from birth—Sasuke surely considered that when he sought to repopulate the Uchiha clan. What could _she_ possibly offer him?

Thoughts of the Uchiha clan raced in her head as the elevator doors slid open, leading her to Itachi. Her lower lip trembled as she thought about Itachi's revelation. Her responsibility as Sasuke's teammate demanded that she tell him. But how could she look him in the eye now?

Tears were already brimming as Sakura quickly ran for the solitude of her office. How would she tell Sasuke about Itachi when just the thought of being near him caused her heart to split?

She knew he was devastated when she told him what Itachi revealed at Madara's—that he would not speak about his mission. To tell him that his brother declined to ever _be near_ Sasuke, to ever _look_ at Sasuke, to ever speak about _anything_…how was she supposed to tell him that?

Lost in her misery, Sakura closed the office door behind her, sliding down to the floor until her head hit her knees. It was finally safe to vent her despair, so she allowed herself to sob freely. A flash of anger burned through her sorrow as she thought of how the warm kiss she longed for today from Sasuke would be given to Karin. Her anger was quickly overwhelmed by anguish as she moaned and wept harder. _And now a child? _She keened, rocking back and forth, as her heart shattered.

Drowning in her sadness, Sakura didn't notice the two hands that gripped her shoulders until she felt herself rising from the floor. She opened her eyes in alarm. Her thoughts were slow to catch up and she just managed to stutter, "S-Sasuke-kun?" before her face was pushed into the soft fabric of his shirt. Being held tightly against him forced all of her grief back to the surface and, much as she tried to suppress it, her breathing shuddered and tears poured out.

Sakura gripped the back of his shirt in her fists and held him as closely as she could while sobs wracked her body. His arms slid around her tighter.

"Sakura." She felt more than heard her name rumble through his chest. New tears leaked from her eyes. "Sakura," he rumbled again. "I'm sorry."

Shock hit her like a _Chidori_. He was _sorry_? Sorry for _what_ exactly? Sorry for breaking her heart? Sorry for giving another woman everything she'd ever wanted? Sakura's confusion dulled her pain momentarily and a new thought leaped into her head.

She had to tell Sasuke about Itachi.

Her mind immediately came up with a thousand reasons why now was not the time, but she knew she was just being cowardly. Sasuke deserved to know what Itachi said. Her pain was making her selfish, she thought. Sakura pressed her cheek against his chest, feeling the hard muscle beneath his shirt as she thought that she would be a good teammate to Sasuke—if nothing else.

She inhaled his scent deeply, smothering the desire to cry again as she caught a faint whiff of Karin's perfume. She wanted to pretend that none of what occurred today really happened. She wanted to stay wrapped up in him forever. After he called her name again and tried to angle his face toward hers, she knew it was time to let go.

In one motion, she broke from his arms and turned away, wiping her eyes with the heel of her hand like a child. "I must look like a mess," she sniffed. Grabbing a handful of tissues, she dabbed at her eyes and nose. Sighing, she slumped down in the same chair where two days before she sat laughing with Sasuke over ramen.

"Sakura, what's going on? Just…tell me," he demanded softly as he crouched beside her chair. She couldn't bring herself to look at him. Renegade tears were still sliding down her cheeks.

When Sasuke's hand reached out to her, she barked out, "Your brother." Just as she'd hoped, he recoiled. She couldn't bear to have him touch her now—she couldn't bear to think that he'd touched Karin the same way.

Now that she'd started to tell him, she knew she'd have to finish. She released a sad, quivering breath, feeling like a weight was pressing down on her chest. "Your brother woke up a short while ago."

Sakura felt his chakra fluctuate and saw his hands flex. She wished more than anything that she didn't have to say these next words. Gripping her tissue tightly and squeezing her eyes shut, she pushed them out of her mouth as quickly as possible.

"He said he never wanted to come back to Konoha. He wished I'd left him to die. Itachi has nothing to say to you and—" She swallowed with difficulty. "He doesn't want to see you…_ever_."

She flinched as his chakra flailed, unrestrained, around him. He jumped back as if she'd slapped him. Sakura leaped to her feet, wanting to tell him that she was only the messenger, but when she looked in his eyes, terror froze her. She saw a Sasuke she hoped she'd never see again—one with frightening, hate-warped features. Her vision clouded and her consciousness slipped away as she imagined a phantom grip cutting off her breath.

* * *

><p>The enormous burst of chakra had Kakashi running toward Sakura's office before he even recognized its signature. Throwing his shoulder against the door, he slid across the smooth tile, stopping short of the roiling energy.<p>

"Sasuke," he said smoothly, by way of greeting. He quickly scanned the unconscious Sakura, who was loosely draped over Sasuke's outstretched arms. Kakashi smirked—as furious as he was, Sasuke couldn't help but come to her aid.

"So," he said, conspicuously raking his gaze over Sakura before flicking his eye to meet Sasuke's. "I see you've heard about Itachi."

Sasuke glowered at him, a scowl etched deeply in his face. "I'm going in there right now. He _will_ talk to me," he bit out between tightly clenched teeth. "He _owes_ me that much."

"She didn't get to tell you about the seals then?"

"I don't care what seals he has! I _need_ answers!"

Kakashi knew where this road would lead and he was concerned that Sasuke's grip on Sakura was bordering on bruising. He'd have to turn this conversation in a different direction.

"Sasuke, I know Madara told you he was telling the truth when he talked about Itachi's mission, but—"

"_But nothing!_ You think I _care_ what the circumstances were? He murdered our whole family!" Sasuke's eyes were bright with fury and his face was flushed with anger.

"I'm not going to pretend I have the answers." Kakashi spoke evenly and quietly, hoping to quell Sasuke's out of control wrath. "There's only one man who can tell you why Itachi did what he did and that's Itachi."

"And that's why—"

"But what I _do_ know is what it was like to live during the Third Ninja War," interrupted Kakashi. "_That_ war changed the way your brother looked at the world."

Sasuke scowled at being cut off and scoffed contemptuously at Kakashi's lecture as he shifted Sakura in his arms.

"When your brother and I were younger, Sasuke, we never knew a world without war. The friends we lost were…irreplaceable." His throat closing up with emotion, Kakashi shook his head to free himself of disturbing memories. "The peace that came afterward gave us a new way to look at life—one that we never wanted to lose."

"Save your speeches, Kakashi," Sasuke spat, his scorn showing in the red glint of his eyes. "I didn't need them as a genin, and I don't need them now."

Kakashi folded his arms and leaned casually against the office wall, plowing ahead as if Sasuke hadn't said a word. "Itachi understood how fragile our peaceful world was. When your father approached him with the idea of an Uchiha uprising, Itachi was afraid we'd lose the happiness that so much had been sacrificed for."

Kakashi could see that, despite himself, Sasuke was intrigued by talk of his family—his eyes softened to their natural black and his chakra began to even out.

"Your brother did what he felt he had to do to make sure our world didn't slip into that hellish mess again." Kakashi sighed. "I'm sure it was an excruciating decision to make. So, who could fault Itachi for wanting to hold on to one, small part of the world he knew—his precious, little brother."

"If he cared so much, then why…" Sasuke growled before he stopped—his head drooping in a vaguely child-like sulk as he continued softly, "why did he leave me alone?"

Kakashi's heart tugged—he knew what it felt like to stand in Sasuke's shoes. He'd endured the pain of loneliness as well. "Sasuke, we've all suffered." He cleared his throat and said, "You and I aren't the lucky ones, that's for sure, but we aren't the worst off. We still have friends we hold close."

Quickly glancing at Sasuke's hands, Kakashi was pleased to see his hold on Sakura had become gentle, so he decided to take a more direct approach. "You understand that your brother _can't_ talk to you right now, right?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Explain," he commanded as he repositioned Sakura's limp body, her head now lolling against his shoulder.

"He's restrained by a binding seal that compelled him to complete his mission. If he didn't, he'd die a very slow and painful death. Sasuke, leaving you alive has left his mission incomplete."

Sasuke inhaled sharply as he clutched at Sakura.

"All he wanted was for you to have an honorable life, living in the village he fought so hard to protect. He wanted you to have friends you could count on. He wanted you to be a Leaf shinobi."

"Why is it always about _his_ wishes? What about me? Besides, he's wrong," snarled a defiant Sasuke. "I don't need anyone!"

Kakashi pointedly turned his gaze down to the girl Sasuke held. "Oh, really? You don't need _anyone_?"

Sasuke's head snapped down to see that he'd slowly drawn Sakura closer to him. Her wilted body was pressed against his chest, her face burrowed deeply into his high collar.

Being his sensei, Kakashi knew exactly what Sasuke's reaction to this proximity would be. Just as expected, Sasuke's head jerked up, cheeks blazing. He took a half-hearted step toward his teacher, but Kakashi turned quickly on his heel, deftly avoiding his attempt to hand off Sakura.

Pausing in the doorway, Kakashi swiveled his head back to face his student. "Just remember, Sasuke…it's never wrong to hold close the people who are precious to you."

Sasuke's face burned as Sakura chose that moment to sigh contentedly and nuzzle deeper into his shirt. Pulling out his worn copy of _Icha Icha_ as he left, Kakashi chuckled to himself, knowing that two of his students would soon learn a lesson about a very _different_ kind of teamwork.

"I don't think I ever got my tea."

* * *

><p>Finding the couch in the corner of Sakura's office, Sasuke laid her down. As soon as he released her knees and shoulders, he felt a firm grip on the front of his shirt. Surprised by a sudden yank, Sasuke had to throw his hands out to either side of Sakura's head to stop himself from smashing into her. She groaned sleepily and rubbed her cheek against his neck, snuggling into his shirt again.<p>

For a second, he contemplated how wonderfully cool and soft her cheek felt against him—before she hummed, a gentle sigh blowing into his ear. Goosebumps rose across Sasuke's neck and arms, a sensation that was strangely electrifying. Thinking that today was fraught with too many ups and downs, he nervously wrapped his hands around Sakura's and pried them off his shirt then flopped into a chair.

Sasuke raked his hands through his hair and huffed in exasperation as he forced himself to think about Kakashi's words. He logically understood the circumstances surrounding his brother's mission. His brain told him that an unthinkable choice was presented to Itachi and he had to make a decision. But in Sasuke's heart was a scared, angry seven-year-old who wanted his mom and dad back—who missed his big brother. He didn't want to have to rationalize Itachi's actions. He just wanted everything to go back to the way it was before—when he was happy.

He slumped in the chair, tipping his head back to gaze at the ceiling. He tried to remember the last time he felt completely happy—and couldn't. Sasuke knew he had moments that approached happiness, but they always seemed to be accompanied by some kind of dark cloud.

Sakura shifted and murmured in her sleep, drawing Sasuke's eyes back to her.

Happiness...

His lips curved into a small smile as he remembered the night when a tearful thirteen-year-old screamed out her love for him. He could still recall the strange feeling of lightness those words produced in him—how it made him feel like his insides had been replaced by air.

A shadow passed over his face as his lips pulled into a frown—that was also the night he left his friends behind to pursue Itachi.

Sasuke's expression further darkened as he thought how close he was to knowing the answers to questions that kept him awake at night. So many times, he imagined himself in Itachi's situation and wondered what he would do. Knowing the alternative was widespread war, he believed he would make the same choice as his brother—with one exception. He would not leave his older brother to wander, plagued by a lack of resolution as he had left Sasuke.

He would not leave him _alone_.

To know now that all along he'd been loved by Itachi—that Itachi had done everything _because_ he loved him so much—made him think of all the years he'd wasted hating and chasing Itachi.

Sasuke's head thumped against the back of the chair as he found himself staring at the blank ceiling again. Why didn't Itachi just tell him how he felt—tell him the truth—instead of driving him toward hatred? Didn't his brother realize how painful it was to grow up unloved? If only he knew that at least his brother loved him, maybe his life would've been different.

"Sas'ke?" Sakura mumbled, restlessly twisting.

Sasuke's hand reached out, knuckles rubbing against her cheek. She sighed and settled back into sleep. The reality of what he'd just done broke over him as he was shaken out of his hazy thoughts. He looked at his hand, turning it over and examining it as if it belonged to someone else.

When had caring for Sakura become…second nature? Looking at the girl sleeping peacefully, Sasuke lingered over the gentle arch of her pink brows and the almost invisible spray of freckles across the bridge of her nose. His hand reached out, itching to touch her again, but he froze—his fingertips just grazing her cheekbone—as a startling thought filled him with a familiar airy lightness.

He had always been loved. He was never alone.

* * *

><p>Despite mountains of schoolwork and a Twizzler hangover, Unicorn Paige has edited this chapter until it shines like the sun. Paige is the bestest of the best!<p>

I don't think you know how much I love to read your reviews. Smiling until my face hurts is a good indicator of joy, right? Well, that's what all of you guys do to me...and I can't thank you enough for it.


	10. Chapter 10

Leaning against a stony spike on the head of the Yondaime, Naruto stared out at Konoha deep in thought. He considered himself a simple man—not that he underestimated his ability to rationalize, Naruto just knew he didn't ponder the complexities of life like Shikamaru might. His truths were simple. When he made a decision, he stuck to it. It was his ninja way. He chuckled, thinking about his serious determination at thirteen when he first declared that he would carve out his own path in the shinobi world.

_No wonder Kakashi-sensei laughed at me_, he thought smiling as he sat on the cold rock of Hokage Mountain. _I know I wasn't much for rule-following, but bucking the _whole shinobi system_? _He rubbed his nose with the back of his hand and snickered.

A lot of years and a lot of experience taught Naruto not to be so brash with his tongue—even if his heart stayed true to that independent sentiment. After all, it was that same stubborn spirit that changed the minds of many and, eventually, revolutionized the ninja world. Gazing at the twinkling lights of his hometown, Naruto sighed with satisfaction, thinking how much had changed for the better.

Sure, he wasn't Hokage—yet—but Sasuke was back. That was an accomplishment he felt especially proud of. He'd set his mind to retrieving his best friend and he'd made it happen. As painful and twisted as the road home was, Sasuke was content in the Leaf.

Or at least Naruto thought he was.

Karin's words floated through his head. Was it true that Sasuke felt the pain of loneliness being one of the last remaining Uchiha? Naruto could relate—he had no one in the village he could call his blood relative.

_But_, he thought, _it doesn't hurt so much knowing I've got people who care._ A smile brightened his whiskered face as images of Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, and Iruka surfaced in his mind.

Visions of his precious people were shoved aside by thoughts of a younger Sasuke pinned under Naruto's forearm. His stomach squirmed uncomfortably as he recalled Sasuke's hurtful words.

"_What the hell do you understand about me? You had nothing in the first place!"_

He understood _now_ what it meant to lose people who were close to your heart. His eyes blurred as he remembered Jiraiya's raucous laugh. He understood all too well.

But to lose _everyone_ you cared for? Could he really understand Sasuke's pain?

He was happy now that Sasuke had returned to the Leaf. Maybe it was his positive nature, but Naruto never once doubted that Sasuke would come home safe and whole. Now that he was here, he was determined to keep him in Konoha. He wouldn't lose another precious person if he could help it.

In the distance, he saw Sasuke walking out the front doors of the hospital—his hands shoved deep in his pockets and his head slumped toward the ground. He knew his best friend better than anyone and he recognized that Sasuke was troubled.

He was on his feet, ready to leap from the Fourth Hokage's head in a flash, before he caught himself. He remembered what Karin said—Sasuke needed time to himself to sort through this whole Itachi mess. Would Naruto be irritating him further if he tried to talk with him? Would he tell Naruto he could never really understand? He wasn't sure. He knew Sasuke wasn't one for words. Maybe Karin was right. Maybe he should give him some space.

Naruto slid back down to the rocky top of his father's likeness. Letting Sasuke wander on his own, filled as he was with black thoughts, left Naruto with an unsettled feeling in his gut. Maybe he'd fill the void with some noodles. Leaping from Hokage Mountain, his stomach lurched anxiously and Naruto thought that, then again, maybe he'd head home.

* * *

><p>"Sasuke!"<p>

Sakura shot up from the couch. She looked around to see that she was alone.

_What happened? _

Last she remembered, she was telling Sasuke about Itachi and…Sasuke's hate-twisted face appeared in her head. Sakura threw her legs to the floor and shook her head—she needed to find him. He didn't know the whole story. She had to tell him about the seals.

Balancing a tray with a teapot and cups against her bulging belly, Shizune elbowed the door open as reality began to seep into Sakura's brain. She clicked the door shut with her hip and turned a strained smile Sakura's way.

"Sleep well?"

Sakura was overcome with guilt. Why did it always seem like Shizune was there to mop up her mess?

"Shizune, I'm sorry."

Her senpai was already whisking the tea into a frothy, green cloud with a little more force than necessary when Sakura apologized. She stopped and turned toward Sakura and the crease on her forehead and the downward turn of her mouth seemed to melt.

Sighing, Shizune said, "Go clean yourself up."

Silently obeying, Sakura stepped into the office's tiny bathroom and was shocked by her reflection. Tear tracks darkened her eyes and her cheeks were splotched with red welts where she'd wiped a little too vigorously. Sakura washed her face and sank back into the couch numbly.

A hot cup of tea was pressed into her palm as Shizune brushed the hair from Sakura's face, saying, "You've been working too hard. Even _you_ need to rest sometimes."

Filled with deep appreciation for her selfless friend, Sakura smiled. When Shizune smiled back, understanding came to Sakura—they were comrades, friends, _sisters_. They were there for each other in times of need. She reached out and squeezed her hand.

"How's Itachi?" she asked, sipping the hot tea tentatively.

"Resting. Tsunade was in earlier. She spoke to him. Told him what happened with the Council."

Sakura tried to read Shizune's expression. Had things gone well, she wondered. Hope and anxiety were fighting in her chest. "Well?" she prodded.

"You know our shishou—she's as skilled as ever in handling the Council. She told them Itachi was acting in defense of the village and that they had no jurisdiction over him. She claimed Itachi was protected under the Miyagi Convention."

Sakura brows knit in confusion.

"It means he can't be tried for eliminating his clan because his actions were carried out _under the laws of war_," she said, hooking her fingers into quotes.

"Wow…so…so, Itachi's a free man?"

"Not quite. They're still deliberating and there'll be counter-arguments and more legal crap than _this_ medic cares to understand," Shizune snickered.

Sakura felt like a weight was lifted from her chest. Itachi would not go to jail. That meant Sasuke would get his brother back. She felt lighter than air. Sasuke would finally have a family.

The weight crushed Sakura again when she watched Shizune rub circles on her pregnant belly—Sasuke had already started a _new_ family.

"If you ask me," Shizune said with a wicked grin, "I think Tsunade wants more Sharingan in Konoha's arsenal. I told her that you'd be more than happy to spearhead _Project Sharingan Resurgence_ with that _other_ acquitted Uchiha, but she said she couldn't wait around for _that_ to happen." She giggled teasingly.

Sakura's head dipped and her limbs suddenly felt full of lead.

"Hey…Sakura?"

"Apparently, Sasuke couldn't wait either," she mumbled under her breath. Setting her cup down, Sakura said, "Well, I shouldn't keep our patient waiting any longer." She stood and made for the door.

Shizune put a hand on Sakura's shoulder to stop her. "You know he spent the whole day here, right? I told him I'd sic ANBU on him and he didn't even flinch. He wouldn't leave until I told him I would take care of you. Sakura." Shizune turned her around, eyes hard as steel. "You _mean_ something to Sasuke."

"I guess I just don't mean enough." Sakura shrugged, pulling the door open. "I'll take Itachi's next two shifts, Senpai. Thanks for the tea and…everything."

Trying to shake thoughts of Sasuke out of her head, Sakura shuffled toward Itachi's room. She could already see his untethered hair gathered in inky snarls around his face. He did seem to be resting, as Shizune said.

Still and silent in his bed, Sakura decided Itachi looked…peaceful. Her fists clenched as indignation shot through her—how could he sleep so angelically, without a care in the world, after the pain he put Sasuke through?

Halting in the darkened corridor, Sakura knew she'd have to rein in these thoughts. Itachi was her patient and she owed him the best care she could give. Slowly, she forced her legs to walk forward. She tried to recall what Kakashi shared with her about Itachi's mission—how he'd done it all because of his deep love for his brother.

Considering the explosion of chakra in her office just hours ago, maybe Sasuke didn't agree that _love_ was his brother's motivation. Knowing that Sasuke's lifelong pain and anger twisted him, leaving him open to become Madara's pawn made her agree with Sasuke on this point—was that really the life Itachi planned for his little brother?

Her conflicting feelings caused her to flare a bit more chakra than she would've normally used to unlock the door and Itachi stirred. Sakura was determined to keep a cool exterior, even though her emotions were raging like a tsunami. She picked up the clipboard that was attached to the end of his bed and flipped through the pages, silently catching up on the mundane details of Shizune's expert care.

Slipping the chart back in place, Sakura opened a cabinet to prep a replacement IV bag. All the while, she repeated the instructions on how to do so like a mantra in her head—anything to keep her from contemplating the shinobi in the bed next to her.

She could hear Itachi shifting under his sheets as she unhooked the used IV bag from its chrome stand and hung a new one. Sakura reached out for his wrist to assure herself that it was flowing correctly and was surprised to feel Itachi's arm flinch at her contact. She felt a small pang of guilt—had she not already decided that, regardless of what he'd done, Itachi was her patient and deserved to be treated with more care?

When she finished attaching the new drip, she channeled chakra to her hands in order to do a more thorough examination. Instead of dropping his wrist and placing her hands directly on his chest, she held his wrist loosely then gently slid her hands across his body to ease the transition. She smoothly wove her chakra through him incrementally, so as not to disturb his system. He sighed and she felt his muscles relax under her compassionate touch.

Sakura closed her eyes and began to visualize the pathways in Itachi's body. If she could find the binding seal, she might stand a chance of containing it. Completely immersed in her work, Sakura almost jumped out of her skin when a voice as deep as rolling thunder said, "Haruno-san?"

She opened her eyes to see Itachi's blindfolded face turned in her direction. He was waiting for a response. What could he possibly want from her, she wondered. Thinking it had to be a utilitarian question about his condition, she replied clinically, "Yes, Uchiha-san?"

"How long have you known my little brother?"

Sakura's hands froze as her mouth gaped. What did he know about her relationship with Sasuke? And what kind of question was that? Did he have a hidden agenda behind such a seemingly innocuous question? Why not ask her something equally bizarre, like _how's the weather,_ Sakura thought suspiciously. Her eyes narrowing in his direction, she decided the truth was always the safest route—just as little truth as possible.

"I've known Sasuke since we were children."

"From the Academy?"

Again, suspicion mounted in Sakura. What was he hoping to learn?

"Yes." She wasn't giving him any more information than exactly what he asked for.

"And, in his genin cell, you were his teammate."

A statement—because he knew the answer, had asked it once before, she remembered with a chill. But the sharp point of the word _teammate_ cut her deeply. A pit of sadness opened in her stomach and she couldn't stop the sigh that passed her lips.

"Yes. We were on Team Seven together." Why did it hurt so much to say that in the past tense? Sasuke was right that night when he told her they would all walk different paths from now on. Team Seven didn't really have that fairy tale reunion that she and Naruto dreamed of. Despite that, she still wanted very much for Sasuke to be happy—he'd been hurt so much—even if it wasn't with her, she thought. Her lip trembled.

Realizing she'd been dazing out for more time than was appropriate with her hands still poised on his shirt, Sakura cleared her throat and told Itachi that she need to probe his system once more.

"Are you in any pain, Uchiha-san?" Itachi slowly nodded. "Okay, I'm going to try to find the source of your distress and encapsulate it. At the very least, I'm hoping it will reduce your pain." She looked at his disbelieving frown. "Are you ready?"

At his assenting nod, she evenly floated her chakra across his raw nerves.

* * *

><p>Having very little in the way of stimulation because of his restraints and blindfold, Itachi was compelled to focus on the sensation of Sakura's fluid chakra easing its way through his system. He felt like he was slowly being enveloped in warm water. Muscles that were perpetually tightened against the pain began to relax.<p>

The last time Itachi felt this level of relief was when he'd injected that hypnotic opiate from Kikai Island—that bit of relief cost him consciousness for three days and, afterward, the pain rebounded tenfold. He knew he didn't want to experience _that_ again. He felt his body instinctively trying to fight against the relaxation, knowing there could be no relief without consequences.

A deep, resounding thump that he knew was too loud to be his heart reverberated through his body. Was she trying to kill him, he thought with sudden alarm. Adrenaline raced as his hands fought against the restraints, itching to pull the medic off of him. If he could just pull a little harder, he could break the bonds and wrap his hands around her throat. He was panicking—his body was on fire. Panting in agony, Itachi realized he would have to overpower the kunoichi soon before she was able to complete this deadly jutsu.

The restraints were seconds away from yielding when Itachi was drowned in a wave of cool, airy bliss. Groaning, he sank into the mattress, muscles unwinding into the first true release he'd ever felt. Tentatively scanning his own chakra network, he was shocked to find that she'd diminished the seal's hold on him. He was nowhere near cured and there was still pain throughout his body, but he felt it—_relief_.

Sakura's hands were sliding wearily off his chest. With a surge of gratitude, he reached for her wrist as it grazed his hand. He felt her freeze and remembered how guarded she was—he knew she was being evasive during his questioning, but he discovered more in her silences and sighs than in her answers. He rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand to assure her of his intentions.

"Sakura…thank you."

He was dismayed to feel her flinch in his grasp. Had he said something wrong? He released her and she collapsed into a chair.

Itachi had underestimated this kunoichi. She certainly was accomplished. He'd assumed that, being on a team with his exceptionally skilled brother, she would be quite ineffectual—Konoha's Academy sought to balance strength with weakness in genin cells. It seems he was _very_ wrong.

He needed to find out more about this woman. How had she given him the comfort that some of the shinobi world's most skillful medics had not even come close to providing? He reveled in the sweet feeling of relief before formulating a plan to discover who exactly Haruno Sakura had become.

Opening his mouth to ask about her training, he heard her exhaustion-slurred voice.

"Itachi?"

He was a little thrown by her informal address as he turned his head toward her to indicate he was listening.

"What was…what was Sasuke-kun like before…?"

That one unfinished question gave Itachi all the information he needed about Sakura. He smiled in her direction as the remembered sound of his baby brother's laughter rang in his ears.

He'd found someone who loved Sasuke as much as he did.

* * *

><p>Once again, Paige, I'd be lost without you. You are the burrito loco of friends!<p>

And everyone who reviewed, favorited, alerted, and read this story so far-I can't thank you enough for the happiness you give me! I laugh, sigh, and blush furiously at your reviews. Thank you!


	11. Chapter 11

Kakashi scratched his head and wondered what else he should pack.

"You can never have enough underwear," he said sagely, squeezing in a few more boxers. He was due at the Main Gate to leave on an extended mission—and he had yet to finish packing. As he tightened the straps of his oversized backpack, he sensed a familiar chakra coming closer to his door.

_I know what _he_ wants to talk about_, he thought with a giggle as he flipped open a side pocket and slipped in all three volumes of _Icha Icha_.

Kakashi shuffled around his apartment, grabbing clothes and weapons while waiting for Sasuke to knock. After five full minutes of sensing his student on the threshold, he started to become concerned. What could be delaying him? Kakashi took two steps down the hall before realizing that Sasuke would balk if he hurried him—best to be patient.

He cracked open a new pack of shuriken and began filling his holster when the knock finally came.

Kakashi sighed with relief. "Come in."

He poked his head down the hall and saw Sasuke frozen in the doorway, his hand still gripping the knob as if deciding whether or not to come all the way in.

"Sasuke. Nice to see you," he said, crinkling his eye with a friendly smile. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Sasuke mumbled, his gaze never lifting from the floor.

"What was that? I didn't quite get it," Kakashi said, despite having heard every word—his shinobi senses picked up the quietest sound. He just wanted to make his tightly-laced student say it out loud.

"I said, I need some advice."

Kakashi was overjoyed—it was a big step for Sasuke to admit he needed help. It was an even bigger step for Sasuke to admit he had feelings for Sakura. He would need to handle this delicately—but Kakashi was an expert. _Icha Icha_ taught him all he needed to know about matters of the heart.

"Sit down. Tell me all about it."

Sasuke moved slowly and sat down tentatively, as if he might spring up and run away at any second. Kakashi was careful not to make any quick movements—Sasuke was as nervous as a cornered rabbit. After a few moments of complete silence, he looked at the clock and figured he'd better give his student a push in the right direction.

"So…you need my help?"

Sasuke began haltingly. "It's just that…we've been through a lot together."

"Yes, you have. A lifetime's worth," Kakashi agreed. Sasuke and Sakura had known each other since childhood and their path together was sometimes rocky.

"And I know not all of it's been good," he said as a cloud passed over his face.

"No, it hasn't." He thought of his two students' encounter in the Land of Iron. Watching them studiously avoid each other after Sasuke came home was painful. Kakashi knew it would only take one mission together for them to work out all their difficulties and move on. He was glad to see that Tsunade agreed with his opinion when she put together the Itachi Retrieval Team.

"But…" Sasuke lifted his face for the first time. "I want it to be good again. I know it can be. I know we can get back what we had."

Kakashi beamed and clapped Sasuke on the shoulder. "Of course you can."

"Our past hasn't been great, but I know we could move forward…make a better future together."

Visions of adorable, black-haired, green-eyed children swam in Kakashi's mind, making him woozy with glee. "_Together_," he said, slightly unsteady—there would be a wedding in Team Seven's future! He glowed with fatherly pride. "I'm so proud that you're finally acknowledging this." Sasuke smirked and nodded. "So, if you know what you want, what's the trouble?"

"I just…I don't know where to begin. I'm not sure what to do or say."

Rubbing his hands together, Kakashi said, "Well, you've come to the right place. First of all, you've got to time your approach. Knowing _when_ to ask important questions like the one you've got to ask is imperative. Also, you might want to start with a gift—chocolates or something like that."

Sasuke's face pinched in confusion, but he nodded. "Dango was always a favorite."

"Great! So, get some dango then begin your approach. Pick the right setting, too. A nice restaurant or a flowery hilltop."

"I think the hospital is my only option."

"The hospital? _Really_?" Kakashi was disappointed in his favorite student—had he not taught him better than this? "Is that the most romantic place you can think of, Sasuke?"

"_Romantic?"_

"Of course! If you're going to ask Sakura to be your girlfriend, you've got to make it memorable."

Sasuke's eyes went wide and his mouth opened and closed several times before he finally blurted out, "You…you think I came to talk about _Sakura_?"

"Certainly. You didn't come here to ask about some _other_ girl, I know that." Kakashi's expression grew puzzled as he watched Sasuke pinch the bridge of his nose and shake his head.

"I came here to talk about _Itachi_."

Suddenly, all the pieces fell into place and Kakashi realized his blunder. Scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, he grinned, saying, "Well, umm, okay. How to talk to your brother..." Gathering himself, he put on his best _wise sensei_ face. "Sasuke, you don't need a guidebook on how to have this conversation. Yes, it's going to be painful—for both of you—but it's something that needs to be discussed in order for the two of you to become brothers again."

Sasuke seemed to brighten at that sentiment. "Just be honest. Don't dwell on the hurt. Find a way past it." Kakashi smiled, thinking how far his student had come. "I know you can do it, Sasuke. You always were my favorite student…just don't tell Sakura I told you that."

Kakashi glanced at the clock and stood, pulling his backpack over a shoulder. "Speaking of Sakura," he said, noting how Sasuke ducked to hide his face at the mention of her name. "You haven't been treating your teammate very well." Sasuke's head sank lower. "She's been working day and night to keep your brother healthy—for _your_ sake. I think you owe her an apology for your recent behavior." His voice was stern, but then he broke out a suggestive smile. "Or even better…a date."

Kakashi chuckled at Sasuke's shocked expression as he opened his door and ushered his stunned student out. Falling into step, he said, "I should be back in a month. Remember what I said. Be honest and keep your precious people close." He smirked before he took off. "And the girl you love closest."

* * *

><p>Sakura hesitantly poked her toe into the shower and deemed it warm enough to get in. She ducked her head under the spray—it was warm enough not to give her goose bumps, but cold enough to keep her awake.<p>

_What was I thinking, offering to work _both_ twelve-hour shifts?_

She knew perfectly well what she was thinking, though. She was thinking that Shizune was called in to clean up after her too many times recently—she owed her senpai a few big favors and she'd sooner pay her back in hospital work than babysitting. Sakura was relieved when Tsunade came to talk to Itachi this morning—it gave her at least an hour to shower, change, and grab some lunch before her next shift started.

She sighed and scrubbed her scalp, her hair foaming. This past week was a real mess. Sakura felt hollow—like someone emptied her out and forgot to put anything back. Her head was the only part of her that was full—_too_ full. It felt ready to explode, thoughts swarming and buzzing, leaving little room for rationality. She was so preoccupied that her lathered hands were moving over her body before she even realized she'd touched the soap.

Sakura shook her head hard, flinging water droplets off her hair. She needed to think clearly, but it was so hard when she felt ready to burst into tears at any moment. Every time Sakura began to connect logical thoughts, visions of Sasuke running his hands over Karin would smash her composure to pieces.

She was frustrated with herself—how many times would she need to shake these thoughts away and take calming breaths before she was able to handle this? And she _needed_ to handle it. After all, in just nine short months, Sasuke would be walking around the village with a red-haired baby in his arms. She methodically inhaled and exhaled against the pang in her chest as she tried to push the thought away. She was relieved when she was able to calm herself successfully. When she looked in her hand, however, she'd squeezed the soap so hard, she'd reduced it to slivers.

Sakura twisted off the shower and soon found herself dried and dressed for work—she'd been too lost in her crowded thoughts to remember doing any of it. She had her house keys in one hand and two bento tied up in cloth in the other. When had she prepared those? And why _two_? With burning eyes, she realized she'd hoped Sasuke would stop by the hospital again.

"_Sakura, you _mean_ something to Sasuke."_

Shizune's words echoed in her head. _Did_ she mean something to Sasuke? She scoffed, knowing that she certainly didn't mean as much to him as he did to her. Gripping the wrapped bento in her hand, she rattled her head back and forth, hoping to shake out some of the clouds. She'd need her wits to care for Itachi. Sakura squeezed her eyes shut tightly—visions of Karin's hands dancing over Sasuke's skin as she moaned his name filled her buzzing head.

Angry at her weakness, she tossed the bento and cursed when they bowled over half the items on her countertop. She picked up a spilled utensil jar and jammed an assortment of spoons and spatulas back in. Righting a frame, Sakura paused when she caught a glimpse of the colorful jumble that was the young Team Seven.

She ran a finger over Sasuke, recalling a mission around her thirteenth birthday in Hot Springs Country. The daimyo's daughter had eyes for Sasuke—she huffed a watery chuckle, thinking _every_ girl they'd met had eyes for Sasuke. She'd cornered Sakura with samurai from her personal guard and demanded to know if she was Sasuke's girlfriend. When Sasuke appeared out of nowhere and stood in front of her, protecting her, Sakura's heart soared—but it was soon crushed when he said Sakura was his friend.

His _friend_.

Her heart thumped at the thought. Sasuke considered her a friend. Just remembering the word coming from his mouth made her body hum with life. She _did_ mean something to him. Of course, what she'd wanted him to say then—_and now_, a voice in her head whispered—was that she was his girlfriend, that he loved her desperately. But Sakura knew Sasuke's heart didn't admit many people and she felt pride knowing she was one of the elite few. Sakura was Sasuke's _friend. _

Friends cared for each other—Sasuke was precious to her.

Friends wanted the best for each other—Sakura certainly wanted him to be content.

Friends put each other's happiness before their own. She hung her head—this was an item she could not check off her list.

That would change. _Now_.

A goal—Sakura felt resolve solidify in her, giving her strength. No matter what else happened, she and Sasuke were friends—they would _always_ be friends. She needed to reset her priorities and put her friend's happiness first.

She couldn't deny the love she still had for him, but Sasuke made his choice and Sakura needed to make hers. The wound she had was fresh and painful, but she told herself that time would ease her pain—eventually, she'd be able to look at Sasuke and Karin without an ache in her heart.

Again, a vision of Sasuke with a redheaded baby in his arms soured her stomach, but she felt slightly more capable of pushing it down. She would not let her feelings get in the way of Sasuke's happiness. She would find him and apologize for her outburst after their spar. Picking up the cloth-wrapped bento, Sakura thought she might even invite him to lunch.

* * *

><p>"<em>Or even better…ask her on a date."<em>

Despite the brisk autumn air, Sasuke's face felt uncomfortably hot as he remembered Kakashi's words.

At the center of town, he stopped and ran his eyes carefully over each shop, stall, and street that branched off the hub of the market district, hoping to catch a glimpse of elusive pink.

Nothing.

He turned down the first road on his right, figuring to search methodically. An empty feeling in his stomach pushed him to find her. Sasuke knew Kakashi was right. He'd taken Sakura's giving nature for granted. That would change. _Now_.

"_Keep your precious people close—and the girl you love closest."_

He pushed his fists deeper into his pants pockets and lengthened his stride, trying to ignore the buzzing in his chest.

Walking through the streets felt strange. Things had changed so much since the last time he walked through the Leaf. That brunette with the pink bouquet had opened up deep wells of guilt and self-loathing—he was sure what he'd done to Sakura was unforgivable. _But she forgave me so easily, so quickly_, he thought as his lips quirked up. Sasuke could've kicked himself for all the time he'd wasted not talking to her—he should've known Sakura wasn't one to hold a grudge. He should've known…

"_The things that make her _our_ Sakura-chan—those things haven't changed at all."_

Sasuke smirked thinking of the Sakura he'd come to know during their mission together. Her confident stride, her skill in battle, as well as her powerful healing ability—which she was using right now to help Itachi—these things were so different from the things that made up the girl he'd left in Konoha. But his brother's life was precious to him and Sakura understood that. The buzzing in his chest increased as he thought that she understood so much without him having to say a word—just like the young girl who cornered him as he left through the Main Gate that fateful night so long ago.

Thinking of Sakura in the hospital with Itachi brought to mind their ramen dinner in her office. Sasuke's smirk lifted into a smile as he thought of how easily she'd blushed that night. He couldn't help the breathy chuckle that escaped him when he remembered her contagious laughter. The memory of her hands in his as he consoled her created a strange stirring beneath his ribs and his mind wandered—what would it be like to hold one of those hands now as he walked through the market? Would she smile and blush if he tugged her into his favorite sushi restaurant? Would she laugh in that contagious way if he told her he was taking her on a date? A searing heat and a shivering cold battled across Sasuke's body until they settled into an airy contentment.

* * *

><p>She walked briskly, her head swiveling back and forth. There was nothing to see but bushes, fences, and kids at play—Sakura was taking the long way to the hospital through Konoha's residential section. She told herself she was looking for Sasuke, but a voice in her head said she'd never find him here. Sakura chose not to listen.<p>

She made a quick right onto the main road, directly across from the Academy. She flicked her head left and right and was startled to see a familiar gray haystack coming her way.

"Hey! Kakashi-sensei!"

He pulled his nose from the gutter of his orange-bound book and lifted his hand in greeting. "Sakura. Just the person I was hoping to see."

"Why, Sensei—I'm honored."

He smirked as he got closer. "Walk with me to the Gate? I'm running late."

She matched his stride and giggled. "You? Late? What a surprise."

"Off to the hospital?"

"Yeah, you know me. Work, work, work!" she said as she shook her sack of bento in mock-exasperation.

"Hmmm…work, huh? Plan on being there for a few days?" he said, gesturing with his chin toward the two boxed lunches.

Remembering that one lunch was made for Sasuke caused Sakura to flush a bright pink. "Uh, no…I was…just—"

"Have you seen Sasuke today?" he asked, abruptly cutting off her stammering.

"No!" she said louder and faster than she meant to. "I haven't. Not yet. I mean, I was looking for him, but…" She trailed off, completely flustered—Kakashi's smirk told her that he knew why.

When he tucked his book into his pouch, Sakura's eyes went wide—he only did that when he had something important to say. A wisp of nerves tingled in her stomach.

"Sakura, you know Sasuke better than any of us." She shook her head, about to launch into a denial when Kakashi raised a hand to stop her. "You know what he's going through right now. His brother coming home has…well, he needs his friends now more than ever." He stopped and looked her in the eye. "Sakura, he needs you close. Be there for him."

Pain cut her unexpectedly deep and she barked, "He's already got someone to keep close." She looked at her toes and murmured, "He doesn't need _me_."

Kakashi was silent for several seconds. "You know there's nobody—"

"Karin. He's with Karin." That hurt to say—Sakura's throat began to constrict.

"I don't know what you heard, or what she told you, but I know that—"

"Sensei, she's pregnant." Kakashi was silent as she let go a shuddering breath. "I did the exam myself. She said she couldn't wait to tell him. She knew he'd be pleased."

Saying it out loud to someone else twisted Sakura's stomach into a big, squirming knot. Now, it was _true_. Now, she couldn't run from it.

Kakashi landed a big hand on her shoulder and she looked up. When she saw his brows shift into a sympathetic expression, she felt her lip tremble. Sakura struggled not to cry as he pulled her into an embrace—_Not here_, she thought, _where everyone can see_.

Her sensei squeezed her shoulders tightly with one arm as he whispered in her ear, "Remember what I taught you, Sakura—look underneath the underneath." He squeezed her again and let go. She exhaled, nodded and Kakashi ruffled her hair. "I'll be back in a month. Don't forget what I said."

She watched him pass through Konoha's Main Gate then take to the trees. "Look underneath the underneath," she mumbled dejectedly. "How is _that_ supposed to help?"

Hoping for an uneventful walk to the hospital, Sakura dimmed her chakra—she didn't want to run into Ino or worse, Naruto, and all that happy bluster. She just couldn't fake a smile right now.

Two blocks from her destination, she saw him—Sasuke's pitch-black hair rippled and floated around his face. His eyes were narrowed as if searching for something.

_I should've known better than to hope_, she thought bitterly.

"_Sakura, you mean something to him."_

"_He needs you close."_

The weight of the bento in her hand reminded her of her vow to put Sasuke's happiness before her own. They were _friends_, she thought with gritted teeth. She steeled herself and raised a hand to wave.

"Sas—"

* * *

><p>Karin was fairly skipping through the streets. She'd played the role of blissfully happy, pregnant girlfriend perfectly. The look of absolute misery on Sakura's face made every second she spent honing that chakra manipulation technique worthwhile. As long as Karin managed to keep Sakura away from Sasuke, she'd never find out the truth that she and Sasuke had never… Karin grimaced for a moment, but brightened when she smelled something delicious—she would not let minor details bring her good mood down.<p>

She smiled brilliantly at the man who sold her sticks of torikawa. Crunching on the crispy chicken skin, she thought that the sky looked especially blue over the Leaf village today—she might just take _Move out of Konoha_ off her to-do list.

The cool swirl of Sasuke's chakra made Karin pick up her pace—he was nearby. When she was close enough to see him in the distance, she caught the faint scent of Sakura's brisk chakra. She saw her stop in her tracks—clearly she'd seen Sasuke as well, but why was her chakra so faint if she was so close?

Karin deduced that Sakura was concealing her chakra—but why? Was she hoping to sneak up on Sasuke? Maybe cover his eyes for a flirty game of _Guess Who_? Not to be outdone, Karin sprinted toward Sasuke, her chakra completely masked. She grinned—she was closer, she'd get there first. Elated, she threw out her arms to encircle his neck.

* * *

><p>Sasuke's name caught in Sakura's throat as a red blur raced toward him. When she saw Karin reach out for him—her arms about to wrap him in an embrace—she exploded. All command of her energy was lost in that moment and her chakra spiked hard.<p>

* * *

><p>Sasuke closed his eyes as he felt the warmth of Sakura's chakra surge behind him. He was enveloped in that airy contentment that came with her presence. His skin prickled when her arm slid around his neck.<p>

* * *

><p>Karin's hand brushed against Sasuke's bristly spikes and she shivered with excitement. The eruption of Sakura's chakra sent a thrill through her. She'd won! She'd gotten to Sasuke first!<p>

* * *

><p><em>Sakura.<em>

Wings were flapping wildly in his ribcage as Sasuke skimmed both hands across Sakura's back, pulling her tightly against him. She jerked him around so quickly and forcefully that he snapped his eyes open in surprise.

* * *

><p>Astonishment dropped on Karin like a bomb as Sasuke's hands ran up her back. Desire quickly overtook shock, though, as he pressed her body flush against his. Her eyelids drooped as she sighed, but she never lost sight of the hurt, anger, and despair that passed over Sakura's face.<p>

She grabbed Sasuke's shoulder and spun him around so that he would not see his teammate—he'd never know how she felt.

Triumphant, Karin lifted her eyes to meet Sakura's and she smiled.

* * *

><p>Sakura always thought she had a vivid imagination—overactive at times—but she knew now that the reality of Sasuke with Karin was so much worse than she ever could've dreamed.<p>

Karin wrapped around Sasuke was not a new sight. Sasuke returning that embrace was, though.

And it _hurt_.

It hurt more than anything she'd ever felt in her entire career as a shinobi. The pain radiated through her whole body and echoed back with renewed agony as Karin's red eyes met her own. Her look of bliss and euphoric smile sent Sakura into a downward spiral.

It hurt so much.

_RUN!_ her body screamed at her. _RUN!_

Sakura's muscles took over and she sprinted for the safe haven of the hospital, the two bento left in the dust.

* * *

><p>Realization took seconds. The deep red fringe that obscured Sasuke's vision was like a bucket of ice water that ripped him from his daydream. He took a step back and untangled her hands from around his neck.<p>

_I should've known better than to hope_, he thought bitterly.

A dark heaviness descended on him. Sasuke shoved his hands deep in his pockets and shuffled away.

* * *

><p>Karin was vaguely aware that her ecstasy was due more to watching Sakura sprint away than it was to being held by Sasuke, but she didn't have long to contemplate that as his hands reached up to peel hers from his neck.<p>

For a second, she was torn—should she stay and watch Sakura depart in agony or pursue Sasuke?

"SASUKE-KUUUUN!"

He didn't even flinch as she bellowed his name through cupped hands. When she called again and he didn't stop, Karin figured she'd just have to chase him—she giggled at the thought of him playfully hiding from her.

_What a flirt_, she thought gleefully.

Karin danced down the street after him and quickly made up ground on the sauntering Uchiha. Just as she leaped to tackle him in a hug, Sasuke jumped onto a rooftop—and Karin found herself face down in the dirt.

"Sasuke-kuuun!" she groaned as she reseated her glasses and brushed the dust from her jacket. She might've missed him this time, but Karin knew from Sakura's expression that her plan was working.

Soon Sasuke would have nowhere else to go—no one to turn to but her.

* * *

><p>Thank you, Paige, for making this chapter so squeaky clean, you can see your reflection in it. Okay, that was lame, but...here's a cookie! Hee, hee...<p>

Holy cow, chapter _eleven_? Who woulda thought we'd make it to chapter eleven? Not me, that's for sure. So much of the joy I get in writing comes from everyone who writes to me. I open your reviews like a kid at Christmas! Thank you so much!


	12. Chapter 12

Her chest ached from sucking in lungfuls of cold, autumn air as she ran. She twisted her head back to see if he was close, pink fringe veiling her eyes.

_There he is!_

Giggling, she pumped her legs harder, feeling the muscles burn as she tore down a side street. Sasuke was fast—she'd have to mind his chakra to be sure he wasn't flash-stepping. A flat-bed cart crossed her path and she jumped, using the elevation to vault onto a rooftop.

The market district was coming up. She could drop down and mix in with the crowd. He'd never find her there.

Her sandals thumped onto a cobblestoned alley and she ducked into the closest shop—a fruit stand—where she weaved in and out of shoppers tapping watermelons and squeezing tomatoes. She snuck out a side door and zigzagged her way across the crowded square, glancing behind her occasionally to check his position.

She never knew how much fun it would be to have Sasuke chase her. There was a twinge in her stomach when she saw how desperately he pursued her, but it was small and easily pushed down.

_He's getting closer!_

Panic pushed her into the weapon shop—she couldn't let him get too close. She cursed as he followed her into the store. Racing down an aisle, she tried to confuse him by doubling back then scrambling behind a display of samurai armor—Sasuke still made a beeline directly for her. She crouched low and pretended to peruse the black-lacquered obi blades as she caught her breath and massaged a stitch in her side.

His footsteps came loud and quick across the old store's creaky, wooden floor. Her hands flew through some signs just as his fingers wrapped tightly around her upper arm.

"Sakura," he said harshly, lifting her to her feet.

"I'm sorry," she said with a confused look as she moved a long, blonde curl from her shoulder with a casual flick of her hand. "My name isn't Sakura, but…" She bit her lip as she looked him over with hungry, half-lidded eyes of icy blue. "I really, _really_ wish it was."

Frustration twisted Sasuke's face into a scowl. With a mumbled _sorry_, he marched from the shop with fisted hands.

"Can I help you?" asked a spotty-faced teenager. His apron and the oily rag he was using to compulsively polish a kunai told her he was a store employee—a smitten employee, she thought, judging by his overeager manner and blinding smile.

"You wish," she snorted as her henge melted—she watched the boy frown and walk away as her blonde curls dissolved into bright red.

Karin peered out the window of the shop and saw Sasuke's imposing figure stalking through the marketplace—the crowd parting for his angry retreat. Her lips curled into a wicked smile as she chuckled.

"That's right. Keep looking," she whispered. "Sakura doesn't know it, but she's avoiding you—and it's beginning to get to you."

* * *

><p><em>Again.<em>

He squeezed his fists a little tighter. _She ducked me _again.

For the past week or more, Sasuke had chased pink hair through the Leaf village only to come up empty-handed every time.

_She knows it's me,_ he thought. _She knows I'm looking for her._ He'd seen flashes of mischievous green eyes as he scanned the crowds—he'd even thought he'd seen her grin at his frustration.

_No. That couldn't be…_ He shook the thought out of his head. He knew Sakura wouldn't frustrate him purposefully—but why was she running from him?

_I thought we'd…I thought we were…_ He ran his hands through his hair. _Friends_. Is that what he and Sakura were? He wasn't sure, but he knew they'd at least made some progress. Lately, though, it seemed that every step he took forward with her left him sliding two steps back.

Sasuke sat with a _thump_ and a sigh on a bench along the winding staircase in Konoha's public park. As he gazed at the steep steps, he wondered why _he_ was always the one climbing, searching, struggling.

Wincing at sudden, high-pitched laughter, he looked up to find the blushing brunette who'd tried to push that pink bouquet on him—the rose-colored flowers that reminded him so painfully of Sakura. She was being playfully pursued by a sandy-haired civilian.

"Toru-chan! Toru-chan! You can't catch me!" she sang teasingly between giggles as she ducked behind a bush.

"I'm right behind you, Natsumi!"

Natsumi burst out of her hiding spot, shrieking merrily. Turning toward the bench, the sight of Sasuke sitting there jolted her abruptly to a halt. Her eyes widened in fear. "Oh! It's you. _T-Toru-chan!_" she yelled and ran off in search of her civilian knight, trembling as if she'd just come face-to-face with a monster.

Sasuke's brows sank low. He banged his fist hard against the stone bench, but it did nothing to dispel his fury. He needed to hit something. Now.

_Where is Naruto?_

He homed in on Ichiraku's before he realized where his feet were leading him. The bright orange visible beneath the flapping noren told Sasuke his instincts were right.

He slid into a well-worn chair next to his teammate. Naruto looked at him from the very corner of his eye and then plunged his face into his bowl, shoveling noodles into his mouth at an alarming rate.

"Idiot," Sasuke mumbled—it was his customary greeting. Naruto peeked at him again and continued to eat. "Naruto," he said louder through gritted teeth.

"Oh, hey, Sasuke. I, uh, didn't see you there." Naruto's face was an unfamiliar mask—he seemed nervous, edgy.

Sasuke decided to cut to the chase. "Where's Sakura?"

"Uh, don't know." He shrugged. "Not sure."

Sasuke felt an irritating burn growing in his chest. A bowl of pork ramen was set in front of him and he tried again. "Why is she avoiding me?"

Naruto stood, reaching into his pocket. "Avoiding you? I don't really…hmm…no idea…" He drifted off as he dropped some change on the counter. "Well, it's late. Gotta go. See you, Sasuke."

Sasuke nearly snapped his chopsticks as he looked down at Naruto's bowl—it was still half full.

_Something's going on,_ he thought with a dark scowl and an ache beneath his ribs. _And_ _I'm going to find out what._ He pushed away his own bowl, his appetite long gone.

* * *

><p>The dripping wet cup clinked gently against a plate as she dropped the last breakfast dish in the drain.<p>

"…lateral basal, and posterior basal."

Sakura reached for a towel to dry her hands just as her recitation of the segments of the lung ended. She took a deep breath and started up another litany.

"Scaphoid, lunate, pisiform…"

_So many tiny bones in your hand_, she thought absently as she ticked off their names. Her mind drifted to a vision of Sasuke's hands—how gracefully he'd slid them down the curve of Karin's back—how firmly they'd pushed her flush against him.

Her lip trembled as she clutched the damp dish towel.

"_Enough!"_

Porcelain clattered as Sakura pounded her fists on the counter to keep herself from crumbling. For almost two weeks, she'd struggled constantly to maintain control. Every time she left her mind unoccupied, visions of Sasuke embracing Karin rushed to fill the void—and those visions left her crippled, sobbing.

"_Not_ now," she muttered through clenched teeth.

She needed to get to the hospital. It would not do to be on the edge of hysterics while tending to her patient—especially when her patient was Uchiha Itachi.

Itachi was keen and observant—he'd noticed her shift in mood, she was sure of it. Maybe she was just feeling vulnerable, but Sakura could almost sense his brain piecing her story together.

"Sakura?" he'd asked early last week when she came in quivering, fresh from having her heart broken in front of her eyes. "Have you ever been to Frost Country?"

She was caught off-guard and a wave of images flooded her mind—ice sculptures, sugary treats, forest green furisodes, and a sleigh ride with Sasuke.

"Y-yes," she answered. "I've been there."

"On a mission?"

"Yes."

Sakura wasn't sure what Itachi was hoping to gain from all these frivolous questions he'd been asking lately.

"I've heard they have a magnificent Winter Festival there."

It wasn't the first time Sakura wondered if Itachi could see directly into her mind. He always seemed to know exactly what heartstring to pluck, and soon, she found herself spilling the entire story of a younger, overly-competitive Sasuke trying to outrace his obnoxious teammate's sled with her help—and how it had almost ended in tragedy when they nearly crashed into a tree. Of course, she'd left out some of her more embarrassing moments where she'd adored Sasuke gleefully, childishly. To her surprise, she felt so much better talking about the good times she'd shared with Team Seven—and she wondered yet again what her patient's real motivation was.

She glanced at the clock and knew she should get moving. Shoving her keys in her pouch, Sakura started toward the hospital as she focused her thoughts by ticking off the regions of the brain.

"Cerebral cortex, occipital lobes, forebr—hey!"

Powerful fingers curled around her arm and yanked. Her fist was already careening toward her assailant's face when she felt it—dark, cold, _familiar_ chakra.

"Sakura."

Her eyes flicked to his disheveled hair, his rumpled clothes, the black circles beneath his eyes.

"Sasuke…are you…okay?"

"I knew if I waited long enough, I'd catch you."

Dread trickled through her at his slightly lopsided grin. She knew she was right in her assumption that he'd spent a sleepless night keeping vigil on her rooftop, waiting for her to leave for the hospital…but why?

The ominous swirl of his unrestrained chakra was choking. A shiver ran down her spine and her feet instinctively backed away from him.

"I have to go."

His grip on her wrist constricted painfully.

"I-Itachi needs me."

She yelped when at least three of the bones in her hand fractured. Chakra raced to her aid as she wrenched her arm away and took off running.

She didn't stop until her back slammed against the rear wall of the Restricted Ward's elevator. Cradling her swollen wrist, she looked down to find that she was branded with the purpling imprint of Sasuke's fingers.

* * *

><p>A tiny fist gripped his finger and pulled it into a gummy mouth. Itachi smiled as tears instantly dried up. He pressed his lips to his infant brother's forehead and thick, round cheeks.<p>

Itachi lay still, hoping the dream would linger.

"_Don't cry, Sasuke. I'll always be here for you."_

On instinct, his body jerked at a flare of chakra—the binding at his wrists reminding him of where he was. He wasn't on the front steps of his childhood home, cradling his swaddled brother. The blissful spell was broken.

"Itachi-san."

"Sakura."

Despite constant reminders, Sakura would not drop the distancing suffix from his name. Itachi worked daily to get to know her, to find out more about her, but she was still suspicious of his motives. The wary shinobi in him applauded her hesitance—the desperate big brother in him wanted to grab her hand and blurt out that he meant her no harm.

A dull, metal _thunk_ told him that she'd finished reading his chart. He sat up straighter, knowing she'd soon lay her hands on him. Today would be the day—he didn't have time to put it off. When her hand slid from his arm toward his chest, Itachi seized the opportunity and grabbed her by the wrist. Her sharp intake of breath made him loosen his hold immediately.

"My apologies, Sakura. How did you break your wrist?" In less than a second, Itachi puzzled out the swelling, her gasp—he knew she'd been injured.

"It's nothing, Itachi-san."

Her hesitation and the momentary trembling of her fingers made his face twist into a scowl.

_Sasuke._

But why? He was sure he knew how his brother felt about the young kunoichi. Her stories of their missions together told a tale of blossoming love. Had that much happened since his fight with Sasuke to change him so drastically?

"I was wondering…the former Team Taka—do you know what's become of them?" An innocent enough question, he thought, but the answer could be revealing. One team molded his brother—could the other have misshaped him?

"I don't know." A hesitation. A sigh. "I only know of one. She lives in Konoha—works for Konoha." Itachi could taste the bitterness in Sakura's voice. "If you don't mind, Uchiha-san, I need to concentrate for a moment."

_Hmmm_, Itachi thought as she touched her hands to his chest, _Uchiha-san?_ Sakura retreated quickly at the mention of Sasuke's female teammate. He recalled all he knew of Karin—a gifted sensor, a favorite of Orochimaru, and thoroughly infatuated with his brother. Was _she_ the changing influence?

"Her name is Karin, correct?"

Sakura's chakra rippled uncomfortably through his body and her hands twitched on his skin. A wave of nausea rose in his throat as her energy darkened.

"Sorry," she mumbled as her chakra quickly withdrew. He heard her rifling through cabinets on the far side of his room. A cool glass was pressed to his lips a moment later. "Drink this. It'll help the queasiness."

The mattress dipped as Sakura surprised him by sitting on the side of his bed. "I'm so sorry, Itachi. That was very unprofessional of me." Her voice strained with emotion.

A thousand questions ran through Itachi's head and a sourness churned in his stomach as he contemplated how to distract her from her pain, yet still discover its source.

"Sakura, did I ever tell you about the time Sasuke twisted his ankle playing Ninja Hide-and-Seek?"

Itachi wistfully recalled for her a sun-filled day on the Training Grounds. A six-year-old Sasuke was eager to study all of his big brother's techniques in the hopes of leapfrogging ahead of his Academy peers. Ninja Hide-and-Seek was one of his favorite games. When Itachi learned how to clone himself, however, his little brother was none too pleased. He chuckled, remembering Sasuke's pouting face as he fumed to their father about how that just wasn't fair.

On this particular day, a too-zealous Sasuke caught a glimpse of one of Itachi's clones hiding behind a tree and raced off to catch him. Unfortunately, his small foot caught under a root and wrenched his ankle. He sniffled and limped until his big brother hoisted him onto his back for the long walk home. Itachi realized he'd been had when his brother waved and giggled at everyone they passed.

A smile curved Itachi's lips as he relived the memory—until a soft snicker from Sakura diverted his reverie.

"Sasuke-kun was…waving?" Her snicker became louder. "And…_giggling_?"

Her laughter was infectious and Itachi found himself chuckling along. When it subsided, he grew nostalgic and sighed. "It's a sight I wish I could see again."

"You can still see your brother, you know. I could bring him here. I know what you said, Itachi, but Sasuke-kun _needs_ to see you."

Knowing that Sasuke's proximity would increase the voracity of his seal, Itachi tried to deflect the subject. "My eyesight has deteriorated to the point where I can't see my own hand in front of my face. It wouldn't matter if he was here or not."

After a moment's silence, Sakura asked, "Maybe I could take a look?"

Itachi almost laughed—as much as he liked Sakura, there was no way he would let her have access to his Kekkei Genkai.

"I've healed Kakashi's before."

He was not surprised that Hatake-senpai allowed her to delve into the secret of his Sharingan—he was not an Uchiha and didn't understand the true nature of the venerated eye.

"I've also healed Sasuke's. On our last mission."

Shock paralyzed Itachi. His brother allowed someone to examine his eyes? A warmth unfroze his numbed body as he reassessed Sasuke's feelings for this woman.

"You would need to remove my blindfold, kunoichi," Itachi warned with as much cold wrath as he could muster—would she fear his dojutsu, he wondered.

He felt her hands at the back of his head, brushing stray hair away from the binding as she loosened the knot. Itachi blinked and squinted at the harsh lights until blurry pink moved to block them.

"I found my way out of your genjutsu once. I think I could manage again," she said, her lips quirked into a half smile as she removed a wrist restraint.

Such an open gesture of trust moved Itachi. He slipped his hand over hers and pulled it to his temple. She settled herself on the bed beside him as warm chakra soothed the ache in his eye sockets. In moments, hazy pink gave way to the defined swirl of a Konoha hitai-ate before he found himself focused on the nuances of hue in her pastel locks.

He reached out to touch her hair in wonder and her hands fell away from his head. He couldn't stop the smile that stretched across his face as his eyes flicked from Sakura to the door to the machines surrounding his bed and, finally, down to his own hands.

He could see.

* * *

><p>Awesomeness is to Paige as prettiness is to Sasuke. You never fail me, Paige!<p>

Hey! You outdid yourselves last chapter! I was flooded with amazing, wonderful, make me glow reviews. Thank you all so very much...

This chapter is dedicated to The Scarlett Ribbon whose jaw-dropping fic, "The Butterfly Effect," has just finished. Please, do yourself a favor...go read it...now!


	13. Chapter 13

"_SAKURA-CHAN!"_

His bowl tipped, almost spilling, when he jumped out of his chair to embrace her.

She giggled as he set her back on the ground. "It's good to see you, too, Naruto."

Naruto didn't realize how down he'd been feeling these past weeks until he saw Sakura—it was like the sun coming out from behind a cloud. When a bowl of pork ramen was placed in front of his teammate, she took up her chopsticks and glanced at Naruto—doing a double-take at his beaming expression.

"Are you up to no good?" she said with a devilish smirk that made her eyes spark with mischief.

_She's so pretty_, popped into Naruto's head and his face heated up.

"No, no…I'm fine. Just...uhh…how's things at the hospital?" He dove for his ramen, hoping she hadn't noticed his blush.

"The same. Kinda boring with only one patient, though." Sakura lifted noodles to her mouth and Naruto's hand shot out to grab her arm. "Hey!"

He rubbed his thumb across the greenish-yellow of a fading bruise. "Sakura-chan?"

Naruto looked from her wrist into her eyes. He watched them go from anxious, to guarded, to defeated—she couldn't lie to him, he knew.

"Was this—"

"Yes," she said, cutting him off before he could say the name. Sakura turned, dejected, back to the counter.

_Sasuke._

Sakura poked around her bowl for a minute while Naruto seethed. As if sensing his brewing anger, she said to her noodles, "Naruto…have you noticed him acting…_different_ lately?"

The concern painted so clearly on her face doused his ire immediately. "Different?"

She looked from her wrist to his face and whispered, "_Darker_."

A quick succession of images flashed through Naruto's mind—all of Sasuke shuffling through the streets of the village, his hands jammed into his pockets, his shoulders rounding and his head drooping more as the weeks went on. He nodded vaguely.

"Why?"

Sakura's eyes opened a little wider at his question. He knew she had the answer in that split second, despite her shrug and the _I have no idea_ she mumbled as she quickly shoved a slice of pork in her mouth.

Naruto sighed, knowing that Sakura was as reluctant as Sasuke when it came to talking about each other—if he asked her what she knew directly, she'd brush him off, evade, divert. He'd need to be stealthy and trick her into revealing what she knew. He looked at her sad, sagging posture and knew it was for her own good.

"Kakashi-sensei left on a mission. He'll be gone for a month, you know," he said, plucking the swirl of fish paste from his soup.

"I know. I saw him before he left."

"Mmm," he hummed as he swallowed. "Me, too. He agreed with you—" Sakura looked at him, surprised. "—about Sasuke." She suddenly found her soup very interesting as he continued. "I wasn't sure what Kakashi meant when he told me to look underneath the underneath with Sasuke." She turned to face him when Naruto reached out and gently touched her wrist. "But I think _you_ know. Don't you, Sakura-chan?"

Naruto's throat began to close up as he watched tears gather in her eyes. _No!_ He wanted to pull his words back—reel them in. He never meant to make her cry. One droplet hung, heavy and luminous, from a lash. She slipped her hand from his grasp and wiped it away before it fell.

Sakura collected herself, dabbing her eyes and nose with a napkin. She tugged on it, staring at her hands in her lap, as she let out a quivering sigh.

"Karin is pregnant."

Naruto's face pinched in confusion. _What does that have to do with anything?_ he thought. He was about to say _So? _when she added, "It's Sasuke's."

Denial roared through Naruto. He would've laughed loud and heartily if he didn't notice the depressed acceptance in Sakura's body language. She couldn't possibly think that Sasuke would—his nose wrinkled in disgust—not with _Karin_.

"Sooo," he drawled. "Sasuke told you this?"

"No. I examined her myself." Her gaze never left her lap.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he thought. Sakura was an excellent medic—he didn't doubt that—but something here wasn't right.

"And you know it's Sasuke's from this examination?"

Sakura stopped compulsively shredding the napkin in her hands for a moment. "Well, no, but…Karin said that Sasuke would be very…happy…" She trailed off as she resumed shredding.

Things were beginning to click into place in his head. Sasuke was arrogant, blunt, big-headed, and proud…but he was Naruto's best friend. Thanks to fierce and frequent meetings of fists, he was sure he knew what was in Sasuke's heart—there was no way this baby was his.

"_Sasuke-kun's not happy in Konoha."_

Naruto turned over his conversation with Karin in his mind. Was that even true? _Was_ Sasuke unhappy in the village? He recalled training battles with Sasuke where he'd clearly seen the indifferent bastard smirk—found him infinitely relaxed as he reclined high in the swaying boughs of Konoha pines—enjoyed delectable bowls of ramen that made Sasuke so content, he'd treated. Naruto knew about the guilt he'd harbored for his treatment of Team Seven, but now each of them had reconciled. Things were finally going well. It might be difficult for him now with Itachi coming back, but Sasuke was _not_ unhappy. His fists tightened at how easily he'd been duped. He needed to find Sasuke and straighten all of this out right now.

He opened his mouth to tell Sakura that he had to leave when he saw her—slumped shoulders, colorless skin, and the napkin in her lap nearly disintegrated. He couldn't leave her like this. It hurt too much to see her in pain. Naruto looped his arms around her, pulling her out of the chair and into a gentle hug.

"It's going to be okay, Sakura-chan. I promise."

* * *

><p>"<em>I don't really…hmm…gotta go. See you, Sasuke."<em>

Wiping away the last of the cleaning oil from his katana, Sasuke grit his teeth against the throb in his temples. A headache formed when he thought of Naruto's fake smile—causing him to thump the uchiko ball too hard against the back of his blade. Choking powder clouded the air and he coughed until his eyes watered.

"_I have to go. I-Itachi needs me."_

With the heel of one hand, Sasuke swiped at his wet eyes while running a polishing cloth methodically down Kusanagi. "_Itachi_ needs you," he sneered, trying to muster up anger at Sakura's avoidance. Instead, his shoulders slumped and a hollow feeling filled his stomach. His sword drifted, forgotten, to his lap as he blotted his face with his high collar.

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

Unexpected hope caused Sasuke to leap to his feet and fling the door open so quickly that it rattled on its hinges. When he saw who it was, his face shifted from surprise to disappointment to irritation.

"Sasuke-kun! You're just _always_ training, aren't you?"

"What do _you_ want?" He'd heard more than enough from Karin lately. His fraying nerves certainly didn't need her grating simpering or flirting. Sasuke tilted Kusanagi so it caught the light, making plain his reclusive intent.

"I-I have news, Sasuke-kun." He began to close the door. "News about Itachi!" she blurted as he reopened the door to stare at her blandly.

Karin took a tentative step toward the threshold. "Mind if I come in?" she asked, ducking under his blade and scurrying into the apartment. "Oh, so this is your place, huh?" She gazed around in wonder, mesmerized, as she sauntered into his kitchen. Following her impatiently, Sasuke found every cabinet open and her head in his refrigerator.

He banged a cabinet shut and she jumped. "What news do you have about Itachi?"

"Oh, Sasuke-kun! I had no idea you drank so much milk. There's almost two gallons in here. That must be why you have such strong bone—"

"_Karin!_" His headache hammering, Sasuke reached the end of his patience when she danced around him and headed toward his bedroom. Frustration made him want to put his fist through the wall, but he managed to flash-step to the door before her and slam it closed.

"Tell me. _Now_."

Karin huffed and spluttered as she made her way back to the living room—he had no time for her ridiculous games. If something was going on with his brother, he needed to know right away.

Sasuke stood, resisting the urge to rub his temples, as Karin stretched herself out across his couch. "Sasuke-kun! You have such good taste in furniture," she purred as she pawed at the material.

Barely containing his anger, he threw and buried a kunai deep into the arm of the sofa, flashing his Sharingan threateningly until Karin relented.

"_Fine_. I was walking to Ichiraku's today because you know I appreciate homey cuisine, Sasuke-kun—I'm a girl with simple tastes." He slipped a kunai into his palm and she redirected. "Anyway, I heard Naruto and Sakura talking about Itachi and—"

He'd heard enough. Karin had no real news—she was just going to feed him some bullshit. He should've known. Sasuke started toward the door to usher her out, when she yelled, "Sakura and Itachi are together!"

"What does _that_ mean?" he growled, the pain in his head making his stomach turn.

"Just that your big brother seems to have made quite an impression on your teammate." Karin moved closer to Sasuke. "And I guess she saved his life, soooo…" She trailed off vexingly.

"I care about getting the truth out of my brother."

"It's kinda hard to get to the truth if you don't talk to him."

Sasuke knew she was trying to piss him off. He'd been tricked by Karin before and been made to look a fool—it would _not_ happen again. He took another step toward the door, away from her.

"Sakura would have to give you permission to talk to Itachi, right? Have you spoken to _her_ about that, Sasuke-kun?"

His head drooped slightly. He could almost hear her smile.

"You haven't been saying much of anything to your teammates lately, have you?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He knew Karin's unhealthy habit of tracking his chakra at every moment—she knew he hadn't talked to Sakura or Naruto in a long time…_too_ long.

"I'm sure Sakura's…_busy_…but where's your sparring partner, hmm?" She took two steps closer to Sasuke. "Naruto's a real ray of sunshine. I wonder if he just got tired of hanging around with the dark cloud." She smirked as the pain in Sasuke's head pulsed with the slow thud of his heart.

He thought that bringing Itachi home would somehow make him feel…whole…but instead, he felt so empty. Naruto—the one constant in his life, irritating as he was—had disappeared. Sasuke now felt very much like a dark cloud, always needing to be propped up and cheered by his more positive friend. Was he wearing Naruto down?

Karin moved closer, her cloying perfume making his eyes burn. "Poor Sasuke-kun…all alone. You know _I'd_ never leave you, don't you?"

Sakura…she had promised to walk the path beside him once. Was it really that easy for her—he swallowed against the nausea—to _feel_ for Itachi? There was an ache building beneath his ribs and he found it hard to breathe. His brother's shadow over his life was dark and suffocating.

"I know how you hurt, Sasuke-kun." Karin pressed a hand to his chest. "I just want to make you…" She angled her head toward him. "…feel all better," she whispered, her breath on his lips.

Sasuke looked into her half-lidded eyes as she pressed herself more firmly against him, her arms slinking around his neck. He didn't want to be isolated. He didn't want to be left in the dark anymore. Karin pulled and he numbly stumbled closer. Her cheek rubbing against his, she breathed, "Sasuke-kun," into his ear.

A vivid remembrance of the wild electricity that tingled through his entire body when Sakura sighed sleepily in his ear made Sasuke realize that this was wrong—he felt nothing, hollow. Karin's desperation to be together left him feeling more alone. His Sharingan roared into life as he wrenched her hands off him.

"Out," he said through clenched teeth.

"But, Sasuke-kun, I'm the only one left. No one else cares. I just want—"

"_OUT!" _

He dragged Karin by the arm down the hall, ripped the door open, and threw her across the threshold. She turned quickly, beseeching him.

"Sasuke! I'm the only one!"

He flung the door closed in her face and sat on the couch, his fingers laced in front of his face. Cold, clean logic was the only way to douse the fire raging in his head. Picking through what was fact and what was fiction in Karin's story helped him disengage from the dull ache in his chest and the burn behind his eyes. He tuned out her whining and thumping on his door as he immersed himself in thought.

If Karin noticed Sakura and Naruto's absence from his life, then this needed further investigation—and Sasuke knew exactly where he'd look first.

The Restricted Ward.

* * *

><p>Itachi blinked as Sakura's hands dropped from his temples. After only a few healing sessions, the clarity she'd given him was astounding. He could see the readout on monitors across the room, the grouted tiles in the hall, and every thick, black lash on her downcast eyes.<p>

"Hey," he said, tugging on her hair. "What's going on?"

She tried to smile for him as she limply swatted at his hand. "Nothing. Nothing." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Really. It's just…"

Reasonably sure of the cause of her distress, Itachi tested the waters. "My brother can be…trying at times."

Sakura twisted her skirt into a knot as she frowned.

Sitting up a little higher in his bed, he said, "Sasuke's always been demanding." He slid a hand over her braided fingers.

When one hand slipped out from under his to scrub her cheek, Itachi realized she was crying. "Sakura?"

She pushed off the bed and over to a cabinet, fishing for tissues. Itachi was on his feet and walking toward her without thought. "Sakura?"

His world tilted and a powerful pull pitched him forward. His clear sight began to tunnel gray as his head swam. Strong arms slid around his back and his chin crashed into what felt like a shoulder, clacking his teeth together.

Itachi wasn't sure how he ended up back in bed, but he resurfaced to Sakura's concerned frown hovering over him, her hands pressed to his clammy forehead and chest.

"_You_ don't get out of bed anymore, you hear me?"

He heard the worry in her voice so it was his turn to smile weakly for her benefit. "Yes, Haruno-sensei."

Sakura harrumphed as if offended, but Itachi knew better. He and Sakura had spent a lot of time shuffling hanafuda cards and discussing the finer points of chichi dango—all the while, he was uncovering who this woman was and why she loved his little brother so.

"So…are you going to tell me what's going on or will I have to tell the Hokage that my doctor has been allowing me to roam the ward to the detriment of my health."

Her chuckle warmed him more than any dose of healing chakra could. "You wouldn't dare," she challenged.

"It's my duty as a Leaf shinobi. You are aware that my loyalty to Konoha is legendary," Itachi joked. When her smile melted, he circled his fingers around her wrist. "Sakura…I want to help."

She took a deep breath and stared at Itachi's blankets. "It's Sasuke. He's—well, Karin's—I mean, they're—" He slid his hand into hers and squeezed, hoping to give her the encouragement she needed. Another sigh came up from her toes. "Karin is pregnant with Sasuke's child." She pulled her hand away from his and crossed her arms protectively over her chest.

_Orochimaru's warden… _

Itachi scowled, thinking that Sasuke's training with the snake had been an unfortunate monkey wrench in his carefully laid plans. He hadn't foreseen Orochimaru branding his brother with the curse mark, but he'd done what he could to minimize the damage the slimy Sannin could inflict on him. Then there was the assembling of a second team—Itachi knew they were picked to help him achieve his ambition. He was sure that Sasuke was so focused on his goal that he didn't have time to give in to baser instincts. Had he been wrong?

"How do you know this?" Itachi demanded. He would get to the bottom of this mess _now_.

"I examined her myself—there was a secondary chakra signature."

"When did you do this examination?"

"Three weeks, maybe a month ago…"

Itachi wove his fingers together and pressed them against his mouth as he thought. He'd dedicated his entire life to the study and nurturing of Sasuke. Despite being miles away from his brother for long years, Itachi dutifully kept abreast of Sasuke's development—every event, every mission, every relationship his brother ever had was examined, contemplated, and weighed.

Itachi had scrutinized each member of Taka for their ability to contribute to Sasuke's goal and growth. He was well aware of Karin's infatuation with his brother, but felt assured that her worth as a sensor would override her excessively dramatic behavior.

_Her worth as a sensor…_

"Sakura." His eyes caught hers. "Let's play cards."

She looked off-balance, as if that was the last thing she'd expected him to say, but she nodded politely and left to find the hanafuda deck. This would take some delicate maneuvering, he thought, but Sakura was uncommonly smart. He had to allow her to figure this out on her own.

Sakura dealt and he picked up his cards, arranging them in his hand by suit. He chatted to distract her as they dropped and grabbed matching pairs. At the end of the round, Sakura totaled up their winnings.

"How do you always manage to get _Gokou_," she moaned, frowning at his high score.

"Koi-Koi is about deduction," he said, taking the cards from her and laying out a playing field to demonstrate. "I know what I have and what's in plain sight. It's just a matter of reasoning out what you're hiding in your hand and what unknowns are still in the pile."

Sakura snorted. "Kakashi-sensei calls that looking underneath the underneath."

"You only get the worthy prize by digging deeper, Sakura—find what's hidden below the surface." He tried to convey the depth of his meaning with a long look, but Sakura seemed determined not to notice.

"Dinner's here," she chirped as she gathered up the cards. By the time she'd put the deck away and rolled a table up to his bed, an ANBU stepped out of the elevator, two meals on a covered platter in his hands.

As she uncovered and arranged their meal, Itachi asked with a chuckle, "How is it, Sakura, that you always know when the meals arrive? Is it a sensitivity to chakra or just a sensitivity to your rumbling stomach?"

She flushed and rapped his knuckles lightheartedly with her chopsticks. "Itachi!"

His laughter trailing off, he knew it was time to steer the conversation toward his objective. Feigning casualness, he said, "You know, I'm surprised, with your level of chakra control, that you're not a sensor."

Sakura quirked an eyebrow at him while she dipped her gyoza. "You don't _become_ a sensor," she said dismissively.

"That's where you're wrong. Highly gifted sensors are born, yes, but for the rest of us, it's merely a skill—like genjutsu—that any adept chakra user can hone with practice. During my time…_outside_ of Konoha, I encountered many sensor types and they all had outstanding chakra control. In fact, some of them had such an acute level of control, they could change the pattern of portions of their own chakra."

Itachi was unable to contain his grin as he watched the idea unfold in her head—her gripped chopsticks slowly floating down to her plate as her mouth hung open. A tickle in his chest soon became a throaty chuckle—Sakura's broadening smile told him that hope was blooming inside of her.

Surprise widened Itachi's eyes as she leaped over their tiny table to wrap her arms around his neck. She sniffed loudly in his ear as he patted her awkwardly.

"Thanks, Itachi," she whispered as she tightened her hold.

_Family_, he thought. He moved his arms to envelop her and sighed contentedly. _I've missed this._

* * *

><p>Burning red eyes watched from the shadowy hallway as his brother held her in his arms.<p>

_Karin was right._

* * *

><p>Roses are red, violets are blue, Paige is so awesome, and this is not a haiku. You like? I'm now a fiction writer AND a poet. Or neither. Well, Paige is great at editing...but not so great at sharing cookies. She's lucky I still like her. Hee, hee.<p>

**BIG NEWS: ****SasuSaku Month **is starting soon! That's right! This year, we'll kick it off with a celebration of Sakura's birthday on March 28th. We're going to have a drabble request party for our favorite kunoichi, post the new sign-up procedure, and the prompts! I'll put a copy/paste link in my profile for easy access.

For anyone who doesn't know about **SasuSaku Month**, it's a huge fandom party for our favorite pair! We supply 31 prompts (each corresponding to a date in July), and you (and many others) create fan works for those prompts (fiction, art, AMVs, etc.). When July rolls around, we post each day's submissions for your enjoyment-it's SasuSaku overload! We're posting the prompts earlier this year, so everyone has lots of time to create!

The event is hosted on LiveJournal, but you DO NOT need a LiveJournal account to participate. So go check it out. Don't forget to replace the dots and take out the spaces!

**sasusaku-month(dot)livejournal(dot)com / 108882(dot)html**


	14. Chapter 14

Being an only child, Sakura had always wished for a big brother to rescue her when things got tough. When she was picked on for her big forehead and teased for her _never going to happen_ crush on Uchiha Sasuke, she'd longed for someone to protect her, to console her, to know exactly what to say and do.

As she hugged him tighter, she thought she could've used a big brother like Itachi.

"_Some of the sensor types I encountered had such an acute level of control, they could change the pattern of portions of their own chakra."_

When Itachi said those words, the wheels in Sakura's head spun wildly. She recognized the message he was trying to send her. She needed to dig deeper into Karin's supposed pregnancy and discover the truth.

During her examination, Sakura recalled Karin saying that she couldn't keep food down for close to a month.

"_Oooh, really, _really_ good rabbit, Sasuke-kun. It's, uh, excellent." _

The way she moaned and gushed over the rabbit Sasuke caught on their mission made Sakura sneer at the time—now, she was shocked as she remembered Karin devouring that roasted hare…as well as the fish she and Sasuke caught…and the katsudon at that teahouse.

Snorting, Sakura thought, _Couldn't keep anything down, huh?_

An injured Karin came to mind—she'd fractured her leg during the ambush in the forest. Sakura kicked herself for allowing emotions to trample over logical thought. She'd examined Karin thoroughly after healing her—it was standard procedure, something Tsunade drilled into her during training. She would've detected Karin's pregnancy _then_ if there was a baby to be found.

A vision of a tiny vial filled with Karin's blood popped into Sakura's head—she'd done a blood test! That would surely clear up this mystery right away. She needed to get to the lab…_now._

Like a roaring wave, shame flooded through her. In her misery, Sakura had avoided Sasuke. His disheveled appearance told her that he was suffering—she knew Itachi's presence was hard for him to deal with. She should've been there for him. What kind of a friend was she?

"Itachi, I have to go," she said, frantically grabbing her things. "I have to find Sasuke. I have to—"

Before she could fly through the door, Itachi grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

"Sakura, after you've talked to my brother, could you…could you bring him here?"

Hope had made her giddy, but this—this made her numb with joy.

"D-do you mean it? You _want_ to see him? Really?"

When he nodded, she threw her arms around his neck again and Itachi chuckled.

"Okay, go on. I'm sure he can't wait to see you," he said before pulling her off and shooing her out the door.

Sakura's feet barely touched the floor as she soared down the hall. She hadn't felt this light in weeks.

* * *

><p>Sasuke hadn't felt this weighed down in years. He scooped up an armful of shirts and jammed them deep into his pack as a vision of Sakura vaulting over a table to wrap her arms around Itachi filled his head. Sasuke ground his teeth, thinking it used to be <em>his<em> arms that she ran to. Eyes shining with warmth, Sakura's hands would slide into his high collar, so soft around his bare neck. Now, she turned eyes full of fear on him like he was a stranger.

Stiffly, he forced himself to continue gathering his things. Dropping a handful of ryō into a pouch brought to mind Naruto leaving half a bowl of ramen on Ichiraku's counter—Naruto with his fake smile and nervous avoidance.

The burning in his eyes and the tightness in his chest told Sasuke his chakra was percolating, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He wanted to explode. He wanted to yell and hurt and burn down everything in sight…but he continued stuffing his pack full of clothes and weapons until a chilly detachment settled over him.

_Itachi._

Sasuke thought he'd finally find peace—contentment—when he returned his brother to Konoha. All the empty spaces and question marks in his head would finally be erased.

Instead, Itachi brought disquiet—rage—as his homecoming gifts.

Cinching his pack, Sasuke hauled it onto his shoulders and slipped out the door. The backpack felt heavier than the last time he walked this path. Could it be that just weeks ago he'd been here, not knowing that his life was about to be turned upside-down?

_Why?_ he thought. _Why now?_ Just when he'd settled in—found his team again, found his purpose again—the rug was yanked out from under him.

Naruto was tired of him. Sakura was afraid of him.

"I don't need them," he muttered to himself as a swirl of leaves blew around him, pushing him toward the Main Gate.

* * *

><p>"I almost had him," Karin lamented as she absently ran a hand over her bruised forearm. She'd touched Sasuke, held him—her lips were so close to his—and out of nowhere, he'd thrown her out.<p>

"This is all _their_ fault. _Team Seven_." Karin's lip curled with disdain. She thought of all the times she'd felt Sasuke's chakra calm when Naruto was around and wanted to kick something. She remembered watching Sasuke actually smile at Sakura around their campfire and she wanted to scream in frustration. "Stupid teammates!"

Flinging open the shoji, Karin stepped out to her balcony. "I was Sasuke's teammate once," she wailed to the night air. "Why do _I_ mean less than _they_ do?"

She thought she'd planned this all so carefully. She made sure to isolate Sasuke, yet Team Seven still managed to stay in his thoughts. As she contemplated her next move, a brisk wind whipped her hair and she sniffed.

_That scent!_

It was the unmistakable perfume of Sasuke's chakra—but her _Kagura Shingan_ perceived something new. The cold shadow seeping into the shimmer of his energy made her smile. Karin vaulted over the rail and dropped into the streets, running toward Sasuke.

Her plan was working.

* * *

><p>"Not here."<p>

Sakura dropped another folder full of test results into a wire basket and dug for another. She flipped rapidly through unwieldy stacks of paper.

"Not here."

Tossing another folder, she moved a stack and cursed the inefficient filing system in Konoha's Specimen Lab. At this rate she'd never find Karin's—

"Got it!"

Sakura quickly scanned the various enzymes and blood cell counts until she found the hormone she was looking for.

"Normal," she said analytically—and then relief broke through her rational, scientific thoughts. "_Normal!_" she squealed. "She not…Karin's not…" Sakura didn't know whether she wanted to jump or dance or run.

Clutching the result sheet in her hand, she flew through the halls and out to the street toward Sasuke's apartment. Halfway there, her feet stopped before her brain knew why. A familiar, empty dread filled her belly as her steps turned toward the Main Gate.

* * *

><p>Naruto loved dinner at Ichiraku's—the peaceful flutter of moths making the light from the lanterns flicker and the warm wafts of steam bathing him every time Ayame opened the kitchen doors were comforting. He'd had a lifetime of memories sitting at this stool.<p>

He smiled into his broth and tilted the bowl against his lips. A blur of bright red suddenly flashed across the reflective curve of his near-empty bowl. Leaning back in his seat, Naruto watched Karin dash down the street and he frowned.

_Where could _she_ be going in such a rush? _

"Thanks for dinner, old man." Naruto's eyes never left Karin's back as he put down his bowl and a few ryō.

* * *

><p>Squeezing her eyes shut, Sakura repeated in a panicked murmur, "He's not there, he's not there, <em>please<em> don't be there, Sasuke-kun!"

She twisted her hands together under her chin and breathed one last imploring _please_ before she stepped onto the road leading to the Main Gate.

Her heart dropped when she saw Sasuke shuffling toward her, head bowed, hands in his pockets. Her heart broke when she saw the pack on his back.

_Not again_, she thought. Her throat constricted and her eyes burned. _I can't do this again._

"Sasuke."

She barely whispered, but his head jerked up as surprised as if she'd screamed his name. He stopped and she looked him over—he looked worse than he had after the night he'd spent on her rooftop. His eyes had a cold, dead look to them that made her more afraid than she'd ever been in her life. She _had_ to reach him—make him understand.

"Don't go."

When he snorted and pushed past her, Sakura felt dread climb up her throat. She whirled and grabbed his elbow, turning him toward her—panic making her reckless.

"Sasuke-kun, I know…I know about..." Tears overflowed. She couldn't bring herself to say Karin's name. She might not be pregnant, but Sakura had seen their embrace in the market—there was no mistaking what Karin meant to Sasuke. "I just want you to be h-happy…that's all." She smiled weakly. "But, please, don't go. Your brother wants to see you and—"

"I don't give a shit what Itachi wants! _My brother_ wants. _My brother_ needs," he sneered. Sakura shuddered, watching Sasuke's expression ice over. "You want me happy? Then leave me alone." He started walking again.

Sasuke's departing back blurred in and out of focus as tears welled and spilled from Sakura's eyes.

_He's walking away again_, she thought, feeling as though he was sand slipping through her fingers. _Not enough! Nothing I say is ever enough!_

Desperation burned every last vestige of propriety and embarrassment out of Sakura. She flash-stepped behind him, throwing her arms around his shoulders, pressing her face against his back.

"Sasuke-kun, I can't let you go!"

He pried her hands off. "Go tell it to Itachi. He's the one who _needs_ you." He turned, his eyes burning red. "I _saw_ you, Sakura. I saw you with him." He threw her hands back at her and resumed walking.

Sakura stood dumbstruck for several seconds before her brain whirred with activity. Sasuke had seen her embracing Itachi. Did Sasuke think…no, that was crazy. As she watched him step closer to the other side of the gates, she knew she had to take a chance—she had to tell him everything and hope something she said mattered.

Running to catch up, she blurted, "I've been trying to make friends with Itachi. I want him to talk to you—I know how much you need to." He narrowed his eyes. "And when I thought Karin was…" The words caught in her throat. "Itachi told me to look underneath and I did and she's not, but if you're with her, I can make peace with that, Sasuke-kun, but I just want you to stay and be happy and if you can't do that with me in the village..." They both stopped when her babbling ended with a long sigh. "Then _I'll_ go…just…please stay."

His forehead creased deeply. "What does _Karin_ have to do with anything?"

Her name in his mouth cut Sakura deeply. Her voice trembled as she said, "I was there, in the marketplace, when you…when you held her. I understand what she means to you and—"

"She means nothing."

"Oh." She was confused—Sakura knew what she'd seen. Wiping her face, she asked, "Then why did you…that day?"

Sasuke turned his face to the side in a way that everyone mistook as arrogantly disconnected—but Sakura knew better. She knew it meant he was flustered by something.

"Sasuke?"

His internal struggle was plain—exactly _what_ he was struggling with, she didn't know. Finally, he said, "I felt your chakra and I thought…" He trailed off as he looked away and folded his arms.

An idea sprang into Sakura's head—an insanely wild, intoxicating idea. Expecting a blistering denial didn't stop her from asking, "Did…did you think she was…_me_?"

She looked at the pink tinting his profile as he turned back toward the village and let out a long, held breath.

"Yes."

Her heart rocketed out of her chest.

"But it doesn't matter," he said to his sandals. "You…and Itachi…"

"Are friends," she finished for him. "I only wanted to show him how much you need him to change his mind—how much you need to talk to him." She stepped closer. "I did it…for you."

As she reached out for him, Sasuke caught her hand gently in his. "Then you don't…_love_ Itachi?"

A trembling excitement filled Sakura as she smiled. "There's only one man I've ever loved…with all my heart."

Emboldened by the reddening of his face and the softening of his eyes, Sakura moved closer, resting a hand on his chest. "Sasuke-kun," she breathed, her eyes fluttering between his lips and his eyes, before his hand tipped her chin up and his mouth softly met hers.

* * *

><p>The more Sasuke's chakra churned and clouded, the lighter Karin skipped. The sparkle of stars high in the sky and the glitter of early-winter frost painting Konoha windows added to the fairy tale atmosphere—her happy ending was finally coming true! She giggled and twirled then threw her arms out wide like a child.<p>

She stumbled in her giddy dance when she noticed a change, an evening out of his chakra—what had calmed Sasuke's agitated energy? It stilled, spiked then glowed brilliantly. Karin choked, overwhelmed by its shimmering radiance.

Disengaging her _Kagura Shingan_ as she came within visual range of Sasuke, Karin stopped cold.

"S-Sa-Sasuke-kun?" she stuttered, unable to believe what she was seeing.

A strong hand rose up like a cloud over the moon-white circle on her back. Seafoam green-tipped fingernails dipped in and out of the inky black ocean of his hair.

Minutes passed as she stood rooted in disbelief. Rage gave movement to her body as she whirled and stormed away, her mind already buzzing with plans to tear them apart—before a shoulder connected with hers and her glasses flew threw the wintry night air.

* * *

><p><em>Hiraishin<em> gave Naruto an advantage Karin did not have. So, unlike her, he was there to witness his teammates' first moments together.

As he watched Sasuke's arms close around Sakura, he blinked at the warm contentment. Naruto turned his face toward the waves of sheer joy radiating off the two of them—Sage Mode's sensitivity made him feel like he was basking in the summer sun. He couldn't help but smile.

Karin's chakra flickered on the edge of his awareness. He opened his eyes a crack to watch her stiffen and hiss Sasuke's name like a snake. The air around her rippled with anger. Naruto looked from his friends back to Karin—she'd never leave them alone. A plan formed in his head.

He flash-stepped to the street behind her and stuffed his hands in his pockets and hung his head. Sennin senses allowed him to purposefully, casually intersect his path with Karin's as she raged toward the heart of the village. Crashing into her shoulder, he snatched her glasses out of the air while she raved.

"Watch where you're going, you stupid moron! There are other people in the world, you know!"

"Sorry," he mumbled. "Depressed." He sighed deeply and held out her glasses.

"What's _your_ problem?"

"Sasuke," Naruto mumbled. He had to hide a grin as Karin leaned closer and straightened her glasses. "He's leaving tomorrow on a really, _really_ long mission. He'll be out of the village for six months!" He sighed again for effect. "It's a two-man job, but…Tsunade is sending me on a diplomatic mission." Naruto scuffed the ground with his shoe dejectedly.

He pretended to have a bolt of inspiration as he threw his finger in the air. "I know! I'll tell Sakura-chan to take the second post!" He laced his hands behind his head and walked off, whistling. "See ya, Karin!"

Naruto listened intently—Karin was still frozen…and then she took off running. He knew she'd be banging down the Hokage's door in moments. Snickering, he made his way back home.

* * *

><p>The light from Itachi's room shone at the end of the dark hallway—it seemed so far away, Sasuke thought. A strange fear grew in his belly the closer he got. This time, his brother was awake, aware. He wouldn't be staring at his sleeping face—he'd have to confront him, talk to him, look into eyes that had watched over his whole life.<p>

Sasuke felt small…and scared.

An arm slid around his waist—his eyes were bone-dry, unblinking, and his feet had grown roots.

"Sasuke-kun?"

He looked into Sakura's upturned face—she was smiling, despite the concern etched between her brows. She wound both arms around him and squeezed, pressing her cheek to his chest—could she feel his racing heart, he wondered. Tightly wound muscles moved stiffly as he laid his arms against her back. She hummed with contentment and Sasuke relaxed into the vibration. He closed his eyes and tucked into her embrace—his attention wrested away from the troubling glow in the distance.

"It's going to be okay," she whispered in his ear, electricity tingling through him. She gave him one more encouraging squeeze before releasing him.

_Will it?_ he thought vaguely, a flicker of hope fighting against the fear.

She twined her fingers with his and tugged. The terrified child in Sasuke told him to dig in, don't go forward, run away—but with Sakura's gentle insistence, he soon found himself standing at Itachi's bedside, staring into familiar gray eyes.

"Little brother…"

* * *

><p>Itachi watched Sakura squeeze Sasuke's hand one last time before she ducked out the door, nodding to him, and glancing back at Sasuke in concern. Having his brother so close made Itachi's muscles cramp—the seal was chafing at the proximity of Uchiha chakra. Despite the pain, he couldn't contain his smirk as he looked over his beloved little brother.<p>

"Have you gotten taller?"

"Why?" Sasuke murmured and Itachi knew exactly what he was asking. He sighed, knowing this was the sole reason his brother was here—he wouldn't dream of disappointing him, but the thought of resurrecting all those old ghosts made his stomach lurch.

"I remember how tiny you were the first time kaasan put you in my arms—you were so pink and small..." Itachi thought wistfully of his baby brother's rounded belly and soft skin. Then the smile fell from his face. "Before that, the entire world was at war. Sasuke, I couldn't lose you, too."

"So you killed everyone we both loved?" Sasuke's voice was shrill with disbelief. "How did that solve anything?"

"I had a decision to make…and I made one. I made it with the future in mind—_your_ future especially." Itachi's limbs burned, but he pushed down the pain. "I never wanted you to know war and our father was leading us both—and the rest of the world—straight toward it."

"Then why didn't you talk to—"

"You think it was an easy decision to make?" Itachi's eyes shone red as pinpricks of ice seemed to jab his chest and back. "You think I didn't exhaust every other possibility before I came to _that_? I spoke to tousan, the Hokage, the Elders—_everyone_ who would listen!"

Cooling, Itachi blinked his eyes to gray and continued, "Every time I looked at you, I knew what I was fighting for. As your brother, I wasn't just a wall for you to climb over, Sasuke. I was a wall to protect you." With his newly-sharpened vision, Itachi saw a nervous mop of pink pacing on the edge of darkness in the hall. "Having precious people of your own now, I think you can understand how I felt."

Sasuke's brow smoothed. "Itachi, I—"

He slid from the bed to stand on shaky legs in front of Sasuke—he felt strange looking eye to eye with his little brother. "You _have_ grown." Itachi's smiled, seeing the bashful hope of a six-year-old in Sasuke's face.

"Sasuke, I don't expect you to forgive me. I just wanted to explain so that maybe you could understand."

Itachi was shocked when strong arms yanked him into a fierce embrace. "Don't leave me again," Sasuke whispered weakly into his neck.

Trembling with gut-wrenching relief, Itachi clasped his brother tightly. "I won't," he whispered before pain swallowed him whole.

* * *

><p>Yet again, Unicorn Paige saves the day. I think you need your own superhero suit, Paige. Not that hobo suit you're wearing now, dahling. Anyhoo, cake and bacon for you because you are awesome!<p>

Please don't forget to check out SasuSaku Month on LiveJournal. There's a link to the awesomeness on my profile. March 28th is opening day! We can celebrate Sakura's birthday together...you know Sasuke will be there! Hee, hee.

Finally, eh? Please write and tell me if you liked the SasuSaku love. And, if you didn't, you need to eat more cake and reread it. Hee, hee. So...just a bit of an epilogue left and then...that's that, folks. Next week will be the end of Look Underneath. See you then!


	15. Chapter 15

"_Her hair shines as bright as twenty-seven suuuuuuns! She is the only one! Although she doesn't have a clan, she's my SAKURA-SAAAAANNNN!"_

The shower of rose petals Lee threw in the air to celebrate the end of another tuneless ballad irritated Karin's nose and she struggled not to sneeze. She wouldn't give the green-clad idiot the satisfac—

"AHHH-CHOO! AH-CHOO!"

"Karin-san! Sneezing twice means someone is criticizing you!"

_I wonder who could be doing that?_ Karin thought caustically as she rubbed a finger under her runny nose.

Lee thrust red roses in her face and wiggled them furiously. "Sneeze again and you'll be admired!"

She scoffed at his ridiculous intensity and rabid belief in old wives' tales, but found herself sniffing hard, trying to instigate even a small tickle in her nose…but nothing would come.

"That just figures," she sighed. Every step she took alongside her _teammate_ made her dream of the day she would get back to Konoha—she'd wring Naruto's scheming, little neck.

She should've known something was up when Tsunade smirked strangely after Karin asked to be assigned to the long-term, two-man mission that was leaving the next day. Hoping it would bump her to the top of the list, she told the Hokage that Naruto personally referred her for the job. She'd squealed, thinking of spending _six whole months_ alone with her Sasuke-kun—Naruto was sad that he couldn't go and there was no way Karin was going to let him recommend Sakura for the post.

When she showed up at the Main Gate the next morning, her hair styled perfectly and a brand new bento—fashioned to look like herself in an uchiwa-print wedding dress—packed safely in her bag, she was stunned to see the bowl-headed weirdo waiting there.

"Where's Sas—"

"Karin-san! I have never had the honor of teaming with you before! We must spend the next six months scrutinizing each other's skills and honing our teamwork to a fine point! Let's begin our journey with a race to the next teahouse! _On our hands_!"

Since then, Lee had challenged her to curry eating, mountain climbing, goat catching, snowball throwing, and various distance races covering a vast assortment of terrain. Through it all, she'd also put up with his poetry, songs, artwork, and interpretive dances all dedicated to and about one subject—Haruno Sakura.

Grinding her teeth as Lee began reciting his latest ode to Sakura's charming forehead, Karin vowed that when she got back to Konoha, she would mutilate Naruto for tricking her then destroy Sakura for daring to touch _her_ Sasuke-kun.

_SQUELCH!_

"YOSH! Karin-san, that's the largest pile of panda poop I've ever seen! You are amazing for discovering it!"

Small animals in a ten-mile radius cowered in fear from the screeching wail.

* * *

><p>Sasuke shuffled the thick hanafuda cards expertly—the thumb-worn deck slipping easily through his fingers. Glancing at Itachi's hands as he totaled up their scores, Sasuke noticed that the Root squad's ink stains were fading. He smiled, knowing his brother was finally free from the pain of his binding seal.<p>

"_Gokou_ again, Sasuke? You're become a Koi-Koi expert. I think you're going to have to give _me_ lessons," Itachi said, chuckling.

"Lesson one is to look underneath the underneath."

Sasuke smirked, knowing now that this was the way his brother had led Sakura to the truth about Karin—and, in turn, helped Sakura keep Sasuke from making one of the biggest mistakes of his life.

Itachi grinned widely as he rubbed his chin. "Now, where have I heard that before?" Clacking the cards on the table, Sasuke made to deal a new round before his brother laid a hand over his. "Don't you have a mission to get to?"

After a quick look at the clock, he said, "I don't have to leave for another hour. We have time."

Itachi pulled the deck from his hand. "Don't you have somewhere else to be? And _someone else_ to be with?" he said slyly.

Heat raced up Sasuke's neck, singed his face, and peaked at his ears. "…don't know what you're talking about," he mumbled, crossing his arms uncomfortably and turning his face to the side.

A swift, strong tug lifted him to his feet. "Go on. Out!" Itachi ordered. Sasuke was surprised and pleased to see that his strength was returning—soon, his brother would be his old self again.

_His old self._

Sasuke gripped Itachi's arm tightly as an inexplicable panic lanced him. He didn't want to leave. He needed to stay, to make sure Itachi would be okay, to make sure…

"Sasuke," he said, patting his back consolingly. "I'll be here when you get back. I promise."

Knots unlaced in Sasuke's gut as he squeezed Itachi's arm firmly.

"Now, go on. Don't make her wait." Sasuke flushed immediately and turned toward the door—a vise grip clamped around his upper arm before he could take a step.

"And don't make _me_ wait either, Sasuke." Itachi smirked. "I need to hear _Itachi-ojisan _soon." He sighed ostentatiously. "I don't think there's ever been an Uchiha with pink hair before, but I suppose there's a first for everything."

Huffing with annoyance at his brother's humiliating laughter, Sasuke stomped to the doorway of the hospital room.

"Later, Sasuke."

He stumbled as those two words made his chest and eyes burn with unbridled happiness. Sasuke would see his brother…_later_. His throat too choked with emotion, Sasuke lifted a hand in acknowledgement.

Outside the hospital, his feet turned down familiar streets, his clouded mind not focused on the path. A blur flashed in front of him and his step stuttered, his attention suddenly roused.

"Watch where you're going, Uchiha! That slow reaction time won't cut it on _my_ mission."

"Idiot," Sasuke said, his lip curling in a half-hearted sneer. "Just because you somehow convinced Tsunade to make you captain on this mission, doesn't give you the right to order me around."

Naruto's face split into a wide, evil grin. "Oh, I think it does, Sasu-chan. And I think you meant to call me _Taichou_. Meet me at the gate in exactly forty-eight minutes! And no stopping for smooches!" commanded Naruto as he made obscene kissing noises.

"Yes, Idiot-taichou," Sasuke growled.

"Just move it, or I'll report you for frater-fater-frat…umm…_you know_…with a teammate!"

Sasuke made a rude gesture and continued walking. _Moron._ Just because he and Sakura had—he flushed just thinking about it—kissed, didn't mean there was anything more to this…right? His step slowed as he thought about Sakura—was there _more_ to this? The thought of not having her in his life made his stomach lurch uncomfortably. No, he didn't want that. But…_this_…what they had now…was this what he wanted? Thoughts of Sakura in his arms—her head pressed against his chest, his face in her hair—made his lips lift into a peaceful smile.

Arms lassoed his neck and Sasuke had to brace himself to keep from falling. How many times would he be ambushed today, he wondered, shaking his head clear.

"What's that smile about?" Sakura asked, beaming as she pinched his cheek.

"Hm," he huffed uncomfortably as he turned his pink face away.

Sakura slipped her hand in his. "Walk with me?"

He nodded stiffly. His stomach seemed suddenly full of writhing snakes—all he could think about was how soft her hand was. Sasuke didn't even notice where Sakura had led him until she stopped. Looking around, he recognized the arching stone ribs that encased rows of trees.

"Do you remember this place?" Sakura asked, squeezing his hand gently.

"Of course." It immediately called to mind a much younger version of himself and the newly-formed Team Seven introducing themselves to their lazy sensei. The innocence of his boyish self made Sasuke nostalgic. "I'd never told anyone about my goals before…" His voice trailed off as he sank into the past.

Sakura let go of his hand and hid behind the trunk of a towering maple. "I can't _believe_ what I said then…how…_mortifying_!"

Sasuke poked his head around the tree to find her hands covering her face. Pulling back a few fingers to expose one green eye, he teased, "Not much has changed since then, has it?"

Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water as she turned bright red. "Well, I guess not," she admitted with an embarrassed smile. "Although, a lot has changed for you," Sakura said, the end of her sentence curving up into a tentative question.

Sasuke nodded, caught her wrist, and pressed her against the tree. Brushing his lips against her ear, he whispered, "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are lots of things I dislike, but only one thing…only one person that I…" Heat burned his cheeks as he ducked his face into her neck.

Sakura's arms snaked around his waist and she lifted her head to his ear. "My name is Haruno Sakura and the thing I like, well, the person I like—" she pulled back to face him "—is Uchiha Sasuke. And my dream for the future is…is…" She laughed nervously, unable to complete her thought.

_The future..._

Sasuke felt courage rise in him like a tsunami. He cupped her chin and said, "I can't really call what I have a dream—it's an ambition." Sakura seemed to know what he meant to say next—his goal of restoring his clan to their former glory—so she smiled proudly at him. Sasuke cocked a brow and smirked salaciously, hoping to convey _another_ meaning and her eyes flew open wide and her hand covered the _oh_ of her mouth. "But I'll need some help. Will you…help me, Sakura?" he asked, brushing his fingers along her jaw, curling them around her neck. She nodded silently, her cheeks burning pink charcoal, her eyes never leaving his. The need to kiss her was becoming unbearable, so he pressed his tingling mouth against hers—his heart pounding when her tongue flicked across his lower lip.

"Hey! Didn't I say to be at the gates at oh-twenty-nine-hundred hours?"

Sasuke glared at Naruto as he hung upside-down from a tree limb above them. "That's not even a time, you moron."

"And what did I say about stopping for this kind of activity, Uchiha? That's it! I'm writing you up!" Naruto whipped a notepad and pencil out of his pouch and started writing, his tongue curled against his lip.

Sakura giggled, but didn't let go of Sasuke. "So sorry, Naruto-taichou. I can assure you, we'll be on our best behavior for the duration of Team Uzumaki's very important mission." She finished with a mocking salute.

"Well…" Naruto softened and put the pad away. "See that you are. And there better not be any more of that—HEY! WHAT'D I JUST SAY?"

* * *

><p>And so ends <em>Look Underneath<em>. I had so much fun working through my very first chaptered fic, but I would still be flailing around, reworking Chapter One without the help of Unicorn Paige. PAIGE! I DID IT! IT'S ALL DONE! NOW IT'S TIME FOR CAKE! You are the best...I wouldn't have the nerve to tackle this enormous project without you. THANKS, PAIGE!

And also thanks to all of you who read, reviewed, alerted, and favorited LU. Your support made this scary journey so much easier. I hope you stick with me in the future! I have so much learning and writing to do!

And don't forget SasuSaku Month! The new posting directions are up and the prompts will be released on March 28th...just in time for Sakura's birthday! Please come by...we'll be hosting a birthday drabble party for our favorite kunoichi! Links and info are on my profile page.

Thanks again, everyone!


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